Trump congratulates Sanders on Nevada caucus win

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on presidential campaign developments (all times local):

10:40 a.m.

President Donald Trump is congratulating Bernie Sanders for his Nevada caucus win.

Speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force One en route to India, the president declared it a “great win” for the Vermont senator but added “we’ll see what happens” with the rest of the nomination fight.

Trump added of Sanders, “I don’t care who I run against, I just hope that they treat him fairly.” He went on to say, without proof, that “there’s a lot of bad things going on” and that he hopes it won’t be a “rigged deal” in the primary.

Some of Sanders’ supporters in 2016 charged that the primary was rigged against him, and a portion stayed home on Election Day, which many political observers believe helped contribute to Trump’s win over Hillary Clinton that year. Sanders has said he expects fair treatment from party leadership this cycle.

Trump also weighed in on recent news that Sanders has been briefed by U.S. officials that Russians are working to help his candidacy. The president said that “nobody told me about it” and speculated, without evidence, that the news was a “leak” from Democrats on Capitol Hill because “they don’t want Bernie Sanders to represent them.”

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10:25 a.m.

South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn is cautioning Democrats not to declare a nomination winner before South Carolina votes.

Bernie Sanders comes out of a strong win in Nevada Saturday after winning the two prior primaries with momentum heading into the next contest, in South Carolina next Saturday. But while the Vermont senator seems increasingly to be the odds-on favorite for the nomination, Clyburn insisted that South Carolina still has a role to play.

He tells NBC’s “Meet the Press”: “If you can win South Carolina decisively, it can set the stage for Super Tuesday.”

Clyburn, the dean of the South Carolina delegation and House Minority Whip, said he plans to make an endorsement in the race Wednesday. His endorsement of Barack Obama in 2008 helped the then-senator clinch the Democratic nomination, and he’s currently believed to favor Joe Biden in the race.

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