WASHINGTON -- Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Sunday he has no regrets about defending Hillary Clinton from having to talk about her emails all the time.
Sanders sat down with ABC "This Week" host George Stephanopoulos, who asked him whether he had "second thoughts" about his memorable moment from Tuesday's debate.
"Well, I don't think so," Sanders said. "I think what the American people want, George, is a discussion in this country of the real issues that are impacting them. And that is -- they're asking why it is they're working longer hours for low wages, why we have a massive level of income and wealth inequality such that almost all of the new income and wealth is going to the top 1 percent."
During Tuesday's debate, CNN host Anderson Cooper asked Clinton about her use of a private email server during her time as secretary of state, which has become the focus of the GOP-led House Select Committee on Benghazi.
Clinton said she has already acknowledged it was a mistake and taken responsibility for it. Sanders then jumped in and agreed.
"I think the secretary is right," he said. "And that is, I think the American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails."
The crowd cheered, and the two candidates gave each other a friendly handshake.
Sanders said Sunday that voters are more interested in hearing about issues like paid family and medical leave, college affordability, mass incarceration, campaign finance reform and climate change.
"All of those issues are more important than Hillary Clinton's emails, of which there is already a process underway to determine what happens," he said.
Clinton is scheduled to testify before the Benghazi committee on Thursday.
The committee's reputation has taken a beating in recent days after two Republican lawmakers suggested the taxpayer-funded effort has been more focused on going after Clinton for partisan purposes than digging into the 2012 terrorist attack in Libya.