The leak of nearly 20,000 of the Democratic National Committee’s emails on Friday contain correspondence showing disdain for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and his supporters, collusion with media, and various candid remarks from key party officials.
In one email, DNC chairwoman and Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz called Donald Trump a “sexist pig.” The remarks came in response to an email forwarding a news story about Trump’s comments on “Morning Joe” that the New York businessman hadn’t “quite recovered — it’s early in the morning — from [Clinton’s] shouting.”
Another leaked email from Wasserman Schultz said “He is an ASS” in reference to Bernie Sanders’ campaign manager Jeff Weaver. The comments in May were in response to an email highlighting Weaver’s remarks that Sanders plans to stay in the race till the Democratic convention. (RELATED: Leaked Emails Show DNC Officials Constructing Anti-Bernie Narrative)
Wasserman Schultz also had some choice words for Sen. Sanders. In a May email exchange she was informed that Sanders would not reappoint her as DNC chair if he were to be elected president.
“This is a silly story. He isn’t going to be president,” Wasserman Schultz replied. These comments came on May 21 while Sanders was still in the race. That day she released a statement saying, “I remain, as I have been from the beginning, neutral in the Presidential Democratic primary.”
On April 24, in an email exchange regarding Sanders saying the Democratic Party hasn’t treated him fairly, Wasserman Schultz said, “spoken like someone who has never been a member of the Democratic Party and has no understanding of what we do.”
The emails also show DNC officials not thinking highly of the Clinton campaign. “Clinton campaign is a mess, they’re afraid of their own shadow,” Luis Miranda, DNC communications director, said on May 19. He described the Clinton campaign as “hobbling along unable to close it out.”
That same day Clinton said there is “no way” she won’t be the Democrat nominee. (RELATED: Emails: Wasserman Schultz Was FURIOUS With Mika Brzezinski Over Criticism)
Several emails in the WikiLeaks release point to DNC officials having an “us versus them” mentality towards Sanders supporters. “It’s clear that Bernie messed up and we were on the right side of history. We’re going to take hits, but Bernie defending the actions the way he’s done I think makes him look bad more than us,” Miranda writes in an email. This was in reference to raucous Sanders supporters at the Nevada Democratic convention and Bernie’s subsequent statement denouncing party officials.
In another email, Eric Walker, DNC deputy communications director, implies Sanders has supporters push conspiracy theories. Walker’s reference was to a news story about Rhode Island closing down polling locations before their primary. “If she outperforms [polling] the Bernie camp will go nuts and allege misconduct. They’ll probably complain regardless, actually.”
The emails didn’t only contain disdain — love was present — but mainly with certain parts of the press. One email contains briefing material about an off the record meeting between Wasserman Schultz and MSNBC President Phil Griffin.
“This is an opportunity to say hello and touch base on the timing and setting for a voting rights town hall (agreed to during the NH debate negotiations); and to stress that we want to have greater collaboration with their team on having the Democratic Party represented on their shows, MSNBC has largely moved to having their contributors and talent do most of the on-air commentary and we don’t get many opportunities to have the Party represented.”
In another exchange it is revealed that Politico reporter Ken Vogel shared “his story ahead of time/before it goes to his editors as long as I didn’t share it. Let me know if you see anything that’s missing and I’ll push back.” This email was from the DNC national press secretary Mark Paustenbach. Vogel’s subject line started off with “
Weaver has already pushed back, saying somebody at the DNC should be held accountable and criticizing Wasserman Schultz’s leadership.
Bernie Sanders camp manager Jeff Weaver tells me somebody with DNC has to be “held accountable” for wikileaks/emails @ABCPolitics
— MaryAlice Parks (@maryaliceparks) July 23, 2016
Sanders camp manager Jeff Weaver adds that DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz is a figure of “disunity” in the party
— MaryAlice Parks (@maryaliceparks) July 23, 2016