New Leak Shows DNC Officials Tried to Destroy Bernie Sanders’ Campaign

Clerk Note: When we see how the game for party nomination is rigged from the get-go, we should just get up and go... to another party.

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New Leak Shows DNC Officials Tried to Destroy Bernie Sanders’ Campaign

http://usuncut.com/politics/dnc-email-leak-exposes-bias/

By: Zach Cartwright
Date: 2016-07-22

The worst fears of Bernie Sanders’ supporters have been officially confirmed in the latest batch of DNC emails released by WikiLeaks.

On Friday, the whistleblowing website leaked approximately 20,000 emails that were allegedly sent by top Democratic National Committee staffers like chairperson Debbie Wasserman Schultz (who referred to a top Bernie Sanders aide as a “damn liar“) national press secretary Mark Paustenbach, and communications director Luis Miranda. This data dump is “Part One” of a series from WikiLeaks they are calling the “Hillary Leaks,” and Guccifer 2.0 has taken credit for the hack behind this first set of emails from the DNC.

The emails show an unprecedented level of collusion between top party officials and political reporters at establishment newspapers, as well as DNC staffers obviously favoring Hillary Clinton while devising ways to attack Bernie Sanders.

In one email with the subject line “Bernie narrative,” Paustenbach ponders a way to attack the Sanders campaign as “never having their act together” with Miranda, suggesting they plant a narrative in the media that the Vermont senator’s presidential campaign “was a mess.”

Despite Wasserman Schultz repeatedly denied allegations that she was favoring Hillary Clinton in the primary, but WikiLeaks’ emails expose her treating the Sanders campaign as an adversary.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz and her staff contemplate ways to smear Sanders’ position on Israel/Palestine affairs with her communications team in one exchange, with Wasserman Schultz saying “The Israel stuff is disturbing” in reference to Sanders’ platform committee appointees attempting to include language denouncing the occupation of Palestinian territory in the party platform. The email also shows that “HFA” (Hillary for America) fronted the idea of Israel/Palestine as “an ideal issue to marginalize Bernie on,” suggesting that DNC staffers were in communication with the Clinton campaign and cooperating on attack strategies against Sen. Sanders.

Party officials even sunk so low as to devise how to use Bernie’s religious views against him, according to emails analyzed Sam Biddle of The Intercept. In an email with the subject line of “No Shit,” DNC CFO Brad Marshall appears to strategize on how to alienate Sanders from Southern Baptist voters:

It might may no difference, but for KY and WVA can we get someone to ask his belief. Does he believe in a God. He had skated on saying he has a Jewish heritage. I think I read he is an atheist. This could make several points difference with my peeps. My Southern Baptist peeps would draw a big difference between a Jew and an atheist.

Marshall followed up shortly after to add, “It’s these Jesus thing.” DNC CEO Amy Dacey replied with “AMEN.” The email was also send to Miranda and Paustenbach.

Marshall emailed the Intercept after publication of their story to insist he was “probably” talking about a surrogate and not Sanders in this email, and the Intercept has followed up to ask what surrogate he could have meant. Marshall has yet to respond to that request as of this writing.

Article 5, Section 4 of the charter and bylaws of the Democratic Party requires the DNC chair to remain impartial during the primary process, a rule that Schultz seems to have violated in these emails:

In the conduct and management of the affairs and procedures of the Democratic National Committee, particularly as they apply to the preparation and conduct of the Presidential nomination process, the Chairperson shall exercise impartiality and evenhandedness as between the Presidential candidates and campaigns. The Chairperson shall be responsible for ensuring that the national officers and staff of the Democratic National Committee maintain impartiality and evenhandedness during the Democratic Party Presidential nominating process.

Neither Schultz nor any other DNC staffers besides Marshall have commented on the leaks as of this writing. The Democratic National Convention begins this Monday in Philadelphia. US Uncut will provide coverage of the convention throughout the week.

 

Zach Cartwright is an activist and author from Richmond, Virginia. He enjoys writing about politics, government, and the media. Send him an email: zachcartwright88@gmail.com

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