USA TODAY International Edition
Leader of DNC will step down
Emails showed Clinton favored over Sanders
Debbie Wasserman Schultz will step down as chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee at the conclusion of this week’s convention, the Florida congresswoman said Sunday in a statement.
The announcement follows the controversy over the release of party emails that depicted staffers favoring Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders during the primary campaign.
Wasserman Schultz cited the importance of electing Clinton and her own commitment to fulfilling her responsibilities to her Florida House district. She said in her statement that “going forward, the best way for me to accomplish those goals is to step down as Party Chair at the end of this convention.”
She said, “As Party Chair, this week 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.”
Former party spokeswoman Maria Cardona predicted on CNN that Wasserman Schultz’s statement was a beginning for negotiations that could further minimize the Florida congresswoman’s role this week. Democrats want to avoid a chaotic scene at the convention involving Sanders supporters, who marched through the streets of Philadelphia.
Sanders, who has called for Wasserman Schultz’s resignation, applauded her decision.
Nearly 20,000 emails released by Wikileaks revealed efforts were discussed by party staffers to undermine the candidacy of Sanders in the presidential campaign.
The leaked emails included one in which a party official suggested the Vermont senator’s religious beliefs should be questioned.