May 28, 2016
Contact: Michael Briggs
Sanders Campaign Challenges Frank and Malloy Roles at Democratic
Convention
WASHINGTON
–
In a formal credentials challenge, Sen. Bernie Sanders’ campaign on
Fridayasked
for
the ouster of two “aggressive attack surrogates” for Hillary
Clinton from key Democratic National Convention committees.
The campaign called for the removal of Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy as a co-chairman of the Platform Committee and former Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank as head of the Platform Committee.
“Governor Malloy and Mr. Frank have both been aggressive attack surrogates for the Clinton campaign,” Sanders campaign counsel Brad Deutsch wrote in a letter to the party’s Rules and Bylaws Committee. “Their criticisms of Sen. Sanders have gone beyond dispassionate ideological disagreement and have exposed a deeper professional, political and personal hostility toward the senator and his campaign.
“The chairs therefore cannot be relied upon to perform their convention duties fairly and capably while laboring under such deeply held bias. The appointment of two individuals so outspokenly critical of Sen. Sanders, and so closely affiliated with Secretary Clinton's campaign, raises concerns that two of the three Convention Standing Committees are being constituted in an overtly partisan way designed to exclude meaningful input from supporters of Sen. Sanders' candidacy.”
Under party rules, Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz recommended 25 at-large appointments to the party’s executive committee for each of the three standing committees: rules, platform and credentials.
To read the letter, click here.
The campaign called for the removal of Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy as a co-chairman of the Platform Committee and former Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank as head of the Platform Committee.
“Governor Malloy and Mr. Frank have both been aggressive attack surrogates for the Clinton campaign,” Sanders campaign counsel Brad Deutsch wrote in a letter to the party’s Rules and Bylaws Committee. “Their criticisms of Sen. Sanders have gone beyond dispassionate ideological disagreement and have exposed a deeper professional, political and personal hostility toward the senator and his campaign.
“The chairs therefore cannot be relied upon to perform their convention duties fairly and capably while laboring under such deeply held bias. The appointment of two individuals so outspokenly critical of Sen. Sanders, and so closely affiliated with Secretary Clinton's campaign, raises concerns that two of the three Convention Standing Committees are being constituted in an overtly partisan way designed to exclude meaningful input from supporters of Sen. Sanders' candidacy.”
Under party rules, Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz recommended 25 at-large appointments to the party’s executive committee for each of the three standing committees: rules, platform and credentials.
To read the letter, click here.
