Millionaire Elizabeth Warren confronted in hallway for being 'hypocrite' — her response says it all

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D), a devout progressive, was confronted recently over her hypocrisy on America's top "one percent" of income earners. Her response said it all.

What happened?

WRKO-FM host Jeff Kuhner confronted Warren in the hallway of a radio studio this week over her position on America's top "one percent," a group that Warren herself is a member of. The progressive senator regularly decries the "one percent" and says they don't "pay their fair share."

He asked: "You often say — and I agree with you — that the '99 percent' are getting shafted by the '1 percent.' Let me ask you this. A lot of people, especially my listeners, say you live in Cambridge. You have a $2 million mansion, plus you’re a multi-millionaire yourself. So how can you rail against the '1 percent,' when you are and live like the '1 percent?'"

How did Warren respond?

Warren explained her family's background: that she wasn't born in Cambridge, that her father was a janitor, that her mother worked at Sears and her brothers served in the military. Warren explained that finances were hard for her family.

But Warren dodged the question — so Kuhner pressed her on it.

One tense exchange

"But you are part of the 1 percent?” the radio host persisted. “You are a multi-millionaire and have a mansion in Cambridge, do you not? It’s worth north of $2 million."

"I had opportunities because America invested in kids like me," Warren responded. "And that’s the reason I’m in public office, so I can make sure the next kid..."

"Yeah, I know," Kuhner interrupted. "But you are part of the 1 percent and you’re railing on the 1 percent. You don’t see the hypocrisy there?"

"This isn't hypocrisy," Warren shot back. "This is about whether you believe in opportunity or not — and I believe in opportunity. And it's what I fought for."

Then, Warren's assistant ushered her out of the tense confrontation.

"You mean the $350,000 for one course?" Kuhner said as Warren walked away. "Is that what you mean by opportunity, senator?"

How much is Warren worth?

According to recent estimates, Warren's net worth stands between $3.7 million to $10 million. For context, the average net worth of Americans in Warren's age range is around $170,000.

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