"Richardson defends Clinton"

Ben Smith:

I spent a little time in Eastern Iowa yesterday with Bill Richardson, of which more later, but in Sioux City yesterday, he was willing to offer his own defense of Hillary's instantly infamous defense of lobbyists.

"We are making too much of it," he said. "I get money from lobbyists in Washington, for labor unions, environmentalists, nurses and teachers – I’m going to continue getting that. I believe it was a bit overblown. We do need public finance, campaign finance. What’s wrong with a labor union? The sheet metal workers have given me the maximum contribution. They’re supporting me. There’s nothing wrong with that. I’m not going to give that up. And they’re based in Washington."

Earlier, Richardson insisted at some length that he's not running for vice president.