海角大神

Emails allegedly taken from top officials in the Democratic National Committee (DNC), released by Wikileaks this Friday, reveal a bias against Sen. Bernie Sanders during the primary election from within his own party. The email release comes just days before the start of the Democratic National Convention, causing concern that it may undermine support for Hillary Clinton, especially among supporters of Senator Sanders.

鈥淸The 聽DNC] 聽wanted to start the convention in a completely positive, unified, upbeat way and they certainly didn鈥檛 want to be scandal ridden,鈥� Jennifer Lawless, professor of government at American University, 聽tells 海角大神. 鈥淎nd it is bad for Clinton in particular because this yet one more scandal that opponents can associate with her.鈥�

The recent leak contains nearly 20,000 emails, reportedly from a handful of leaders in the Democratic Party including Communications Director Luis Miranda and Finance Chief of Staff Scott Comer and are available through a search tool on Wikileaks.

The leak was anonymous, but the DNC says that it was the work of the same Russian hacker, going by the name Guccifer 2.0, who breached the 聽DNC server in June and took opposition research on Republican nominee Donald Trump and compiled a dossier of Hillary Clinton-related documents.

The emails, if authentic, reveal a pointed attempt by the DNC to derail the Sanders campaign, seeing him only as a threat to Mrs. Clinton rather than a potential asset for the party.

For example, Mark Paustenbach, a committee communications official, wrote to Luis Miranda, the communications director for the committee: 鈥渨ondering if there鈥檚 a good Bernie narrative for a story, which is that Bernie never ever had his act together, that his campaign was a mess.鈥� This comment came after Sanders鈥� supporters, unbeknown to him, accessed the DNC server and got ahold of Clinton鈥檚 voter data in May, 聽

Making Sanders鈥� campaign look unorganized and impractical was a running theme in the leaked emails.

In another email exchange, concerning Sanders鈥� comment that he would remove DNC committee chairwoman Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz as soon as he was in office, Luis Miranda, the communications director for the committee emailed Wasserman Schultz to ask if they should call CNN to complain about their coverage of Sanders鈥� comment.

鈥淒o you all think it鈥檚 worth highlighting for CNN that her term ends the day after the inauguration, when a new D.N.C. Chair is elected anyway?鈥� Mr. Miranda asked. Ms. Wasserman Schultz responded by dismissing the senator鈥檚 chances.

Her response: 鈥淭his is a silly story. He isn鈥檛 going to be president.鈥�

Brad Marshall, the chief financial officer of the committee, Paustenbach and Amy Dacey, the committee鈥檚 chief executive, discussed how to force Sanders to talk about his religion in states where it would put him at a disadvantage.

鈥淚t might may no difference, but for KY and WVA can we get someone to ask his belief. Does he believe in a God,鈥� wrote Mr. Marshall. 鈥淗e had skated on saying he has a Jewish heritage. I think I read he is an atheist. This could make several points difference with my peeps.鈥�

To which Dacey responded, 鈥淎MEN.鈥�

These emails support the many claims Sanders made throughout the primaries that the Democratic Party leadership was biased and was not supporting him. Although he clearly had come to terms with the disadvantages he faced by the time he endorsed Clinton, his supporters my have a more difficult time being as accepting.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was quick to highlight the contentious issue.聽

Still some analysts aren't certain this will be a big problem or sow much discontent at the Democratic National Convention this coming week.

鈥淚t depends on how Bernie Sanders and the Clinton campaign decide if they want to acknowledge or not acknowledge what happened,鈥� says Professor Lawless. 鈥淚f Bernie Sanders chooses not to make a big deal about it and Hillary Clinton is gracious in accepting the nomination also in recognizing the importance of the Sanders campaign through the primaries 鈥� they can do quite a bit of damage control.鈥�