Amid email uproar, Wasserman Schultz to step down after convention Heidi M. Przybyla
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2016/07/24/debbie-wasserman-schultz-democratic-convention/87502302/
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 growing controversy over the release of party emails that at times depicted staffers favoring Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders during the primary campaign.
Citing the importance of electing Clinton and her commitment to fulfilling her responsibilities to her Florida House district, Wasserman Schultz 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.”
However, despite reports of an increasingly limited role at the convention, she added: “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.”
However, former party spokeswoman Maria Cardona predicted on CNN that Wasserman Schultz’s statement is a beginning point for negotiations that could further minimize the Florida congresswoman’s role this week. Democrats want to avoid a chaotic scene at the convention, and some predict the chairwoman could be loudly booed by Sanders supporters, who were already marching through the streets of Philadelphia.Rep. Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio, will preside over the four-day convention, and Democratic National Committee communications director Luis Miranda announced that party vice chair Donna Brazile will serve as interim head of the DNC through the election.
Sanders, who has called for Wasserman Schultz’s resignation, applauded her decision to step down.
“Debbie Wasserman Schultz has made the right decision for the future of the Democratic Party,” the Vermont senator said in a statement. “While she deserves thanks for her years of service, the party now needs new leadership that will open the doors of the party and welcome in working people and young people.”
Both President Obama and Hillary Clinton accepted Wasserman Schultz’s resignation in statements issued within moments of each other. Obama said he placed a call to the Florida congresswoman Sunday afternoon, noting that she’s played a “critical role” in party victories, including on social and civil justice. “We know she will continue to serve our country as a member of Congress from Florida and she will always be our dear friend,” Obama said.
Clinton thanked Wasserman Schultz, saying “there’s simply no one better at taking the fight to the Republicans than Debbie,” adding that she still plans to campaign with her in Florida.
Republican nominee Donald Trump, meanwhile, blasted Wasserman Schultz as “overrated” and contrasted her with his party’s chairman, Reince Priebus, calling the Wisconsin Republican “the tough one and the smart one.”
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