Sen. Bernie Sanders believes “climate change is an intersectional issue that will touch each and every one of us and, as such, it must be met with solidarity.”

He recently took to Twitter to quote incoming freshman Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who he partnered with to co-host a Climate Change Town Hall: “The only way we are going to get out of this situation is by choosing to be courageous,” Sanders wrote.

Apparently, “choosing to be courageous” and meeting climate change “with solidarity” doesn’t apply to Sanders himself, who spent a whopping $5.2 million on private jet services during his campaign for president in 2016. And despite his constant rhetoric against the uber-rich and calls to curb climate change, recent campaign finance reports show his 2018 re-election campaign shelled out another nearly $300,000 to shuttle the socialist senator around the country on gas-guzzling private jets in the weeks leading up to his 2018 re-election.

“Sanders – who appears likely to run for president again in 2020 – went to nine battle ground states to stump for Democratic Party candidates prior to the November mid-term elections,” VT Digger reports. “Sanders’ cross country tour included stops in Iowa, Nevada and South Carolina, early caucus and primary states in 2020. He also went as far as California to help other candidates.”

The total cost — $297,685 — “covered the entirety of the tour from Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, South Carolina, Colorado, Nevada, Arizona, California, and back to Vermont,” Arianna Jones, spokeswoman for Friends of Bernie Sanders, told the news site.

Jones said a private jet was necessary “to allow the senator to campaign in all of the state where candidates wanted his help and get back to Vermont in order to join the Vermont Democratic Party coordinated campaign’s final GOTV efforts.

“As Bernie often said while encouraging voters to get involved leading up to Election Day,” Jones said, “this was the most important midterm election in our lifetimes and he wanted to have maximum impact.”

Jones explained that Sanders’ travel – which undoubtedly leaves a bigger carbon footprint than some small countries – isn’t a big deal because his campaign purchased “carbon offsets” to pay for the damage to the planet.

You Might Like
Learn more about RevenueStripe...

“She said the campaign paid $4,980 to NativeEnergy for carbon offsets,” VT Digger reports.

Meanwhile, Ocasio-Cortez and others promoting a “Green New Deal” are patting Sanders on the back for leading the charge.

“Thank you @SenSanders for hosting a town hall we’ve so desperately needed,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted to her mentor this week.

Folks online, of course, are expressing a slightly different take.

You Might Like
Learn more about RevenueStripe...

“Something about burning all that fossil fuel and destroying the environment that Sanders was so against comes to mind” Mikey Pete posted to Twitter.

“Carbon offsets?! So the purchase of offsets means the emissions never happened?” Fred Welch questioned. “What a fraud!”

“Non-story,” John Doe added. “There are different rules for socialist leaders than for the people. This is understood and accepted. Our leaders should be praised for their sacrifices made on behalf of their love for us.

“Vomit.”