DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz Dropped From Convention After WikiLeaks Scandal
Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Chair of the Democratic National Committee has been dropped from the party’s lineup of convention speakers following WikiLeaks’ release of explosive DNC emails showing members of the organization actively working against the Bernie Sanders campaign.
A Democratic insider told CNN that Schultz has been dropped from the lineup to “keep the peace” within the party, amid calls from Sanders’ campaign manager for someone at the DNC to be “held accountable” for the anti-Sanders collusion seen in the leaked emails.
That collusion included the leak of a Sanders campaign document to the Wall Street Journal as well as active attempts to harm Sanders’ image with Southern Baptist Democrats by drawing attention to his atheism.
The DNC, and Wasserman Schultz in particular, came under heavy criticism from Sanders during the primaries, during which he accused them of showing favouritism to Hillary Clinton. In this, the WikiLeaks revelations have wholly vindicated him.
According to CNN, Democrat insiders hope that the absence of Schultz will prevent “chaos on the convention floor” from angry Sanders supporters.
Prior to the WikiLeaks revelations, there had been growing signs of unity between Clinton and Sanders, who endorsed his primary opponent in a high-profile joint announcement earlier this month.
However, persistent anger at Clinton and the Democratic party establishment from his fired-up supporters now threatens unity at the convention.
There seems to be no sign of interest in the leaks fading, with the topic trending on Twitter for two days straight. After an initial hashtag, #DNCLeaks dropped off the trending list with users alleging pro-Clinton censorship from the platform, a second hashtag, #DNCLeak, was created, and trended well into yesterday afternoon.
There were concerns leading into the Republican National Convention that #NeverTrump could cause chaos. In the end, anti-Trump disruption consisted of a small floor protest at the start of the convention, and Ted Cruz’s last stand at the end.
If the leaks continue, it looks like the Democrats’ convention could prove rather more acrimonious. And according to Julian Assange, the leaks have only just begun …
Assange on Peston on Sunday: 'More Clinton leaks to come' (June 12) https://t.co/zkJNp0UA18#DNCLeak
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) July 24, 2016
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