Breaking: Debbie Wasserman Schultz Resigning as DNC Chair

Wikileaks Email Leaks Too Damaging

Debbie Wasserman Schultz is resigning as the Chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, after damaging DNC emails were released by Wikileaks. 

“Going forward, the best way for me to accomplish those goals is to step down as Party Chair at the end of this convention,” Wasserman Schultz said in a statement Sunday afternoon. “I will open and close the Convention and I will address our delegates about the stakes involved in this election not only for Democrats, but for all Americans.” 

“We have planned a great and unified Convention this week and I hope and expect that the DNC team that has worked so hard to get us to this point will have the strong support of all Democrats in making sure this is the best convention we have ever had,” she added.

DNC Communications Director Luis Miranda announced Donna Brazile will become Interim Chair:

President Barack Obama offered his thanks for her service:

“For the last eight years, Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz has had my back. This afternoon, I called her to let her know that I am grateful. Her leadership of the DNC has meant that we had someone who brought Democrats together not just for my re-election campaign, but for accomplishing the shared goals we have had for our country. Her critical role in supporting our economic recovery, our fights for social and civil justice and providing health care for all Americans will be a hallmark of her tenure as Party Chair.  Her fundraising and organizing skills were matched only by her passion, her commitment and her warmth.  And no one works harder for her constituents in Congress than Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Michelle and I are grateful for her efforts, we know she will continue to serve our country as a member of Congress from Florida and she will always be our dear friend.”

UPDATE I: 4:41 PM EDT –
Hillary Clinton issues statement:

“I want to thank my longtime friend Debbie Wasserman Schultz for her leadership of the Democratic National Committee over the past five years. 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. There’s simply no one better at taking the fight to the Republicans than Debbie–which is why I am glad that she has agreed to serve as honorary chair of my campaign’s 50-state program to gain ground and elect Democrats in every part of the country, and will continue to serve as a surrogate for my campaign nationally, in Florida, and in other key states. I look forward to campaigning with Debbie in Florida and helping her in her re-election bid–because as President, I will need fighters like Debbie in Congress who are ready on day one to get to work for the American people.” 

UPDATE II: 4:47 PM EDT –
MSNBC video:

UPDATE III: 4:51 PM EDT –

Here’s how the NY Times reports the Wikileaks email scandal in its report on Wasserman Schultz’s resignation:

The hack of the Democratic committee’s emails, made public on Friday by WikiLeaks, offered undeniable evidence of what Mr. Sanders’s supporters had complained about for much of the senator’s contentious primary with Mrs. Clinton: that the party was effectively an arm of Mrs. Clinton’s campaign.

One email, for example, revealed party officials discussing how to plant stories before primaries in heavily religious Kentucky and West Virginia that would highlight what they suggested was Mr. Sanders’s atheism.

Appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, Mr. Sanders called the attacks on his faith “an outrage” and reiterated his demand that Ms. Wasserman Schultz resign.

“I don’t think she is qualified to be the chair of the D.N.C., not only for these awful emails, which revealed the prejudice of the D.N.C., but also because we need a party that reaches out to working people and young people, and I don’t think her leadership style is doing that,” he said.

 

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