DNC Statement on Nevada Democratic Party Letter
May 17, 2016
WASHINGTON – DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz today issued the following statement on a letter from the Nevada Democratic Party regarding threatening and violent behavior among some participants around their state party convention this weekend:
“We are deeply concerned about the troubling details laid out in the letter from the Nevada Democratic Party. We will be reaching out to the leadership of both of our campaigns to ask them to stand with the Democratic Party in denouncing and taking steps to prevent the type of behavior on display over the weekend in Las Vegas. Our democracy is undermined any time threats, intimidation, physical violence or damage to property are present. If there are legitimate concerns, they must be addressed in an orderly, civil and peaceful manner.
“The rules governing the Democratic Party delegate selection process have been in place for decades and the specific procedures for this cycle were agreed upon in 2014. In Nevada on Saturday, the state party’s credentials committee was made up of an equal number of members representing both campaigns. That’s a testament to our party’s fundamental belief in being inclusive, open to the public, and transparent. The process for nominating a Democratic Presidential candidate is not something taken lightly, it is a four-year endeavor that is closely scrutinized and determined in public forums, just as it has been in past election cycles. There is no excuse for what happened in Nevada, and it is incumbent upon all of us in positions of leadership to speak out.”