Clooney calls money in politics 'obscene' -- including what he's raising

Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton has not been "very good at explaining" that most of the money raised at huge-ticket fundraisers for her goes to races for lower offices such as the House and Senate, actor George Clooney told Meet the Press' Chuck Todd in an interview aired Sunday morning.

Clooney, who hosted two Clinton fundraisers this weekend with a top ticket price of $353,000, agreed that there is "an obscene amount of money" in politics and that it's "ridiculous" for politicians to need this much. Those who bought the priciest tickets did, however, get to sit at the same table as Clinton, Clooney and his wife Amal.

But Clooney said he is so involved because he supports Clinton and thinks the only way to overturn the Citizen's United Supreme Court case that paved the way for Super PACs, is to regain Democratic control of the Senate and nominate a ninth member of the high court.

Top Senate Republicans vow they won't hold a hearing on President Obama's nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to fill the vacancy left by the February death of Justice Antonin Scalia.

RNC Chair urges against changing convention rules before Cleveland

Clooney faced protesters in San Francisco who called him a "corporate shill," which the liberal actor said he found ironic. Unlike the billionaire Koch brothers and other corporate interests who want to elect politicians who would save them money, Clooney and other wealthy Democratic donors would likely wind up paying more in taxes if their candidates win.

Appearing on CNN's State of the Union Sunday — one of three morning shows on his calendar — Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders was asked if Clooney is backing the wrong candidate for the Democratic nomination.

"I think he is, but he is honest enough to say that there is something wrong" with the campaign finance system, said Sanders. "I have a lot of respect for George Clooney's honesty and integrity on this issue."