Dem senator: ‘I did fear for my safety’ amid Sanders fans

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) on Wednesday said that she felt threatened by Bernie Sanders supporters during this weekend’s Nevada Democratic convention.

“There was no way to control what was happening,” she said on CNN. “I did fear for my safety and I, fortunately, had a lot of security around me. I’ve never really had anything like this happen before.”

{mosads}The Nevada convention erupted in bedlam on Saturday, with supporters of Sanders’s presidential campaign loudly protesting the delegate selection process and booing Boxer, who supports Hillary Clinton.

Boxer said that she tried to defuse the situation during her convention address.

“I basically told the crowd, ‘Bernie and Hillary had asked for civility,’ ” Boxer said. “That didn’t help. I said, ‘Bernie’s a friend, he’s my good friend.’ They still booed.”

Boxer said she spoke to Sanders on Tuesday evening.

“He was very distressed about it,” she said. “He expressed shock that his people would do it. It was a very warm conversation.

“I expect Bernie to get a hold of this whole situation. That’s what I expect from a leader. Bernie has shown that he is a leader in this country. We need to unite.”

The Nevada Democratic Party on Monday warned that Sanders supporters could stir up “actual violence” at the Democratic National Convention in July.

Sanders on Tuesday called those accusations “nonsense,” and maintained that the state party had treated his campaign unfairly in Nevada.

“The Democratic leadership used its power to prevent a fair and transparent process from taking place,” he said in a statement.