Mike Bloomberg's 2020 campaign office in Chicago vandalized, police say

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Democratic presidential campaign took an ugly turn in Illinois as a campaign office for Michael Bloomberg was vandalized overnight Monday. An office supporting Amy Klobuchar was also recently targeted.

Police are still investigating and it does not appear the two cases are related, except in giving another glimpse into the political tensions that this presidential election is causing.

Campaign staffers for Michael Bloomberg arrived to their office in Edgewater to find the windows defaced with graffiti, including the words "racist" and "sexist."

"Obviously it has no place in our discourse or in democratic politics," said Scott Britton, Cook County Commissioner and Illinois co-chair of Bloomberg 2020.

But it was some of the other graffiti, specifically the world "oligarch," that had the Bloomberg team pointing the finger at the current Democratic front-runner, Bernie Sanders.

"I know that the Sanders supporters are fervent," Britton said. "I love their energy. It's great for all Democrats, but there's a line that clearly has been crossed and it needs to be taken back and it needs to come from the national campaign, including the senator himself."

The Sanders campaign did not respond to requests for comment, but oligarch is a term he and his staffers have frequently used to attack Bloomberg, the billionaire New York businessman who has poured hundreds of millions of his personal fortune into the race already.

"Bottom line here, real change never takes place from the top on down, never takes place from an oligarchy controlled by billionaires," Sanders said in last week's debate.

Last week, the East Lakeview office of a political action committee supporting Amy Klobuchar was vandalized with racist and anti-Semitic graffiti, including one that said "career politician."

"I don't think it was specific anti-Klobuchar animus that's responsible for this, I just think people are, like I said, tensions are high and political candidates, it's easy for them to be an outlet for people to express their frustrations," said Joshua Kilroy, of Midwesterners for Amy Klobuchar PAC.

Bloomberg's campaign says several offices around the country have been vandalized in recent months, including several using the word "oligarch." But there is no proof that Sanders supporters are responsible. Chicago police are reviewing surveillance video as they try to determine who is responsible.