Democratic presidential hopeful Dean Phillips asked CNN’s Poppy Harlow and Kasie Hunt point blank Tuesday if they’re being honest with their viewers that the DNC is “suppressing voters” to try and help President Joe Biden.
Harlow referenced an earlier interview Phillips did with CNN, in which he said either he could win the race or open up the door for others to win it. Phillips said his position remains the same, with Harlow asking “who” in particular he would be opening the door for.
“I’ve been trying this, I hope you guys know, since I called on the president to pass the torch. He didn’t. I spent months literally calling other candidates who are better known than I because I know in this game you have to be well-known. It helps the cause,” Phillips said.
“That’s why I’m wondering who,” Harlow pressed.
“The invitation Poppy is still – Gretchen Whitmer, J.B. Pritzker, Gavin Newsom, vice president Harris. Where are you? This is the practice of democracy that I really am trying to impress upon Democrats that we should not have a coronation. We should have a competition, and I hope you’re telling people also the truth that my party is suppressing voters here. You know this, I hope?”
“You’re talking about the DNC letter,” Hunt chimed in. (RELATED: ‘Biden Is Going To Get Creamed’: Dem Biden Challenger Reveals One Big Revelation From Trump Rally)
“The DNC sent a letter to the state here, the New Hampshire Democrats, saying that this is meaningless, despite having a massive write-in operation. It actually precipitated a letter from the secretary of state here to the Democratic National Committee just last week, a cease and desist for the unlawful suppression of voters. There is a lot going on here that nobody is really aware of, and I’m trying to call attention to the truth. I wish other candidates were participating. That call is still wide open. The water is warm.”
Hunt immediately changed topics to ask Phillips if he thought Vice President Kamala Harris was qualified, with Phillips arguing Harris should get out there and try to convince voters she is.
The DNC said in a letter the Democratic New Hampshire primary was “meaningless,” prompting the state’s attorney general to send a letter to the DNC that said “falsely telling New Hampshire voters that a New Hampshire election is ‘meaningless’ violates New Hampshire voter suppression laws.”
The cease and desist letter from the attorney general instructs the DNC to stop repeating the “false, misleading, and deceptive statement.”
Biden is not participating in the New Hampshire primary due to the DNC’s new primary calendar that put South Carolina first. There is currently a large write-in campaign for the president in the Granite state, though Phillips is urging voters not to write in Biden’s name.