A cache of more than 19,000 emails from Democratic party officials, leaked in advance of Hillary Clinton’s nomination at the party’s convention next week in Philadelphia, details the acrimonious split between the Democratic National Committee and Clinton’s former rival, Sen.
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U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, speaks during a campaign event for presidential candidate Hillary Clinton at the Florida State Fairgrounds Entertainment Hall in Tampa, July 22, 2016. “They’re exhausted of the same old white men determining what goes on in the party and what goes on in our lives”, Kitterman said.
Several emails in the WikiLeaks release point to DNC officials having an “us versus them” mentality towards Sanders supporters.
Emails posted to the website Wikileaks show that at least some DNC officials were looking at ways to undercut Sanders’ campaign, including questioning his religious beliefs.
“Wondering if there’s a good Bernie narrative for a story, which is that Bernie never ever had his act together, that his campaign was a mess”, Paustenbach wrote to Luis Miranda, the communications director for the committee.
Kitterman also now serves as president of the Bradley County Young Democrats, an organization he helped incorporate past year.
Almost 20,000 emails, all apparently copied from email accounts of seven members of the Democratic National Committee, cover a period from January 2015 through May of this year – before Clinton’s victory over Sanders was confirmed.
Democrats and independent voters in the Philadelphia suburbs – a crucial area in a competitive state – are expressing mixed feelings about Clinton in the days leading up to next week’s Democratic convention in their hometown. Some of the emails could open some old wounds and impede that process.
The commission will be co-chaired by Clinton and Sanders representatives, and will be comprised of nine Clinton appointees, seven Sanders appointees and three DNC appointees.
Regarding super delegates, which was the most contentious issue of the day, the commission will make specific recommendations on how to change the rules so some super delegates, such as members of Congress and governors, maintain their status, but others be required to cast their votes at the convention “in proportion to the vote received for each candidate in their state”.
“If we walk out of this room with our heads hung low, affirming the status quo, that is going to be a statement to voters of this country”, said George Albro, a labor organizer and Sanders-backing member of the rules committee. “Does he believe in God. He had skated on saying he has a Jewish heritage”, the message said. “As a politician and as a community activist in my community, all I can say is this is a silly argument to make!” “My Southern Baptist peeps would draw a big difference between a Jew and an atheist”, the email says.
One is a suggestion to discredit Sanders after a controversial convention in Nevada in May, which led to his supporters accusing the DNC of fraud and misconduct.
Michael Briggs, a Sanders spokesman, had no comment Friday.
It was well known that there had been friction between the Sanders campaign and an ostensibly impartial party apparatus. They bring to the contest both passion and a potentially vast donor base.
WikiLeaks posted nearly 20,000 emails sent or received by a handful of top committee officials and provided an online tool to search through them. The Democratic National Convention starts Monday in Philadelphia. The tiers range from a direct donation of $66,800 to one of $467,600 to the DNC.
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The leak also includes information about the major donors of the Democratic Party.
