Debbie Wasserman Schultz Out As Democratic Convention Chair After Email Leak

July 24, 201612:00 PM ET
New York Times
EYDER PERALTA

Amid furor over an email leak that revealed a bias against Bernie Sanders inside the Democratic National Committee, Debbie Wasserman Schultz is out as chair of the convention.

In an email to NPR, the office of Rep. Marcia Fudge said she "has been named permanent chair of the Democratic National Convention."

Sen. Bernie Sanders featured heavily in the hacked Democratic National Committee emails released by WikiLeaks Friday.

The emails, which were released by WikiLeaks just days before the party's convention launches in Philadelphia, appear to show top DNC officials trading ideas on how to hurt Sanders at the polls.

In one email out of the 20,000 leaked, the committee's Chief Financial Officer Brad Marshall appears to float an idea to question Sanders' Jewish faith.

In an interview with CNN, Sanders, once again, called on Schultz to resign.

"It goes without saying the function of the DNC," Sanders said, "is to represent all of the candidates to be fair and even-minded."

Sanders also called the emails an "outrage" and "sad" but also that they do not come as "a great shock." He believes that the DNC was "at opposition to our campaign" all along, he said Sunday morning.

"I mean there's no question to my mind and I think no question to any objective observer's mind that the DNC was supporting Hillary Clinton, and was at opposition to our campaign," Sanders said.

Sanders also reiterated that he believes DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz should resign, something he's said for months. She should step down, he said, "not only because of the prejudice I think [the DNC] showed during the campaign but also because I think we need new leadership that will open up that party" to working people, young people and "have the kind of vitality we need."

Clinton has had a long-standing relationship with the DNC and Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Schultz was the co-chair of her 2008 bid for president. Sanders is a relative newcomer to the Democratic party and the DNC, having long served as an independent in the Senate.

Still, Sanders and others feel that the DNC chair should remain neutral during a nominating process.

"It goes without saying the function of the DNC," he continued, "is to represent all of the candidates to be fair and even-minded."

On NBC's Meet The Press, Sanders wouldn't say whether Schultz should be forced to resign before the Democratic convention begins. But some of his supporters went there — commentator and activist Van Jones tweeted that he'll speak out until she steps down.

She will not have a speaking role at this week's convention, according to several reports.

Blowback to the emails came from all corners of the political world Sunday — including Clinton supporters and Donald Trump.

Former DNC Chair and Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who is a Clinton supporter, called the leak "very disturbing" if true and told NPR that the chair's job should be "to remain neutral."

"I sat in that chair in 2004 trying to navigate all the different candidates we had," he said. "But if you had people in there who were trashing one of the candidates, I can tell you this, if I were still chairman they wouldn't be working there. I mean, that is just totally unacceptable behavior," he said.

Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook also called the emails "disturbing" and something that "voters need to reflect on."

But Sanders maintained that his support for Clinton is strong, saying his immediate message to his supporters now is that "disastrous" Donald Trump must be defeated. "My second message is that we continue the political revolution."