Under fire for emails showing rancor between the Democratic National Committee and the Bernie Sanders campaign, Debbie Wasserman Schultz is stepping down as party chairwoman, but will join Hillary Clinton’s campaign in a senior role. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who had long argued that Wasserman Schultz and the DNC were favoring Clinton in his epic battle with the former Secretary of State for the Democratic nomination, called for the national chair to resign.
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“There’s been dirty politics throughout history and I certainly hope that Congresswoman Wasserman [Schultz] is defeated in her local election because it’s disgraceful”, said Sanders supporter Jack Shannahan on Sunday.
Hillary Clinton says that Wasserman Schultz will serve as honorary chair of her campaign’s 50-state program to help elect Democrats around the country.
Lingering bitterness from the heated primary campaign between Clinton and Sanders erupted after more than 19,000 leaked DNC emails seemed to confirm Sanders’ frequent charge that the DNC played favorites in the race.
Her resignation also comes as party officials are already concerned about existing turmoil among Sanders’ supporters who feel maligned by the DNC’s handling of their candidate and their disapproval of Clinton’s decision to pick a moderate Democrat as her VP.
Rep. Marcia Fudge has been named permanent chair of the convention and Donna Brazile will serve as interim chair of the committee. Branding himself a democratic socialist, Sanders galvanized young and liberal voters with his calls to rein in Wall Street and eradicate income inequality. She will be formally nominated as the first woman to lead a major party ticket on Tuesday, and accept with a prime-time speech Thursday.
WikiLeaks released a batch of emails Friday that suggest top DNC officials actively tried to sabotage Bernie Sanders’s campaign to aid Hillary Clinton’s candidacy.
“If Bernie Sanders is enthusiastically supporting the ticket I don’t think Donald Trump has anything to complain about”.
He said Sanders supporters and others had votes suppressed in presidential primaries.
Clinton’s Republican opponent, Donald Trump, wasted no time in commenting on the situation on Twitter.
US President Barack Obama also praised Wasserman Schultz, saying that during her tenure she “has had my back”. In several of the emails, it’s made clear that the party was less supportive of Sanders during his run opposing Clinton as the Democratic presidential nominee.
“We’re focused on a lot bigger stuff than this”, he said.
“I am grateful to Debbie for getting the Democratic Party to this year’s historic convention in Philadelphia, and I know that this week’s events will be a success thanks to her hard work and leadership”, Clinton stated.
Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort said the Clinton camp was trying to distract from its party discord ahead of the convention.
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Sanders and his supporters celebrated Wasserman Schultz’s announcement. By her mid-40s, Wasserman Schultz had survived breast cancer and was raising three kids – all the while serving in the House and raising millions for the Democratic Party.
