Late last week, Wikileaks — um — leaked a bunch of Democratic National Committee emails that show staffers complaining about Bernie Sanders, and media criticism over DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s treatment of him. One email thread involved staff discussing whether they could use Sanders’ religious faith against him during the primaries. In the immediate aftermath, Wasserman Schultz was “quarantined” from the upcoming Democratic National Convention. It comes as no surprise then that she announced on Sunday that she is resigning after the convention is over.
According to The Guardian, Wasserman Schultz said that she was proud of the progress the Democrats during her tenure at the DNC:
“I’ve been proud to serve as the first woman nominated by a sitting president as chair of the Democratic National Committee,” Wasserman Schultz said in a statement. “I couldn’t be more excited that Democrats are nominating our first woman presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, a friend I have always believed in and know will be a great president.”
President Barack Obama praised Wasserman Schultz, while Clinton said that soon-to-be former chairwoman would continue to play a role in the Clinton campaign, especially in Florida, which Wasserman Schultz is a congresswoman.
“I am grateful to Debbie for getting the Democratic Party to this year’s historic convention in Philadelphia,” she said, “and I know that this week’s events will be a success thanks to her hard work and leadership.
This is a far cry from what Sanders had to say about Wasserman Schultz, saying that her bias and leadership methods made her unfit to serve in her current position:
“I don’t think she is qualified to be the chair of the DNC,” he told CNN, “not just because of these emails, which revealed the prejudice of the DNC, but also because we need a party that reaches out to working people and young people. And I don’t think her leadership style does that.”
No doubt that people like Trevor Noah, who earlier this year confronted Wasserman Schultz on how powerful superdelegates were in helping Clinton maintain her edge, would agree. It remains to be seen whether the culture at the DNC will change as Sanders hopes it does. According to the Washington Post, Donna Brazile will take over as interim DNC chair. Other DNC officials are hoping the staffers who wrote the emails are fired, especially since the documents reveal them speaking disparagingly about donors.
Clinton’s campaign manager said that the DNC would investigate the leak, including the possibility that Russia was behind the hack that lead to this state of affairs before the convention starts on Monday.
(via The Guardian and The Washington Post)