WASHINGTON- DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz issued the following statement on Donald Trump all but securing the Republican nomination:

“Let’s dispel with the notion that Donald Trump is a fringe candidate — tonight he became the presumptive Republican nominee. Let’s also be clear: this is not a hostile takeover of the Republican Party. This is the culmination of years of divisive and extreme politics embraced by Republican leaders more concerned with obstruction and Washington power grabs than the hard work of governing on behalf of all Americans.

“Donald Trump is the standard-bearer of a Republican Party that produced candidates like Todd Akin, who said there was such a thing as ‘legitimate rape;’ Newt Gingrich who said laws preventing child labor are ‘truly stupid;’ and Mitt Romney who said African Americans trade their votes for ‘free stuff’ and coined the term ‘self-deportation.’ Today’s Republican Senate leaders cling to obstruction, which comes with the dangerous risk of handing Donald Trump the next Supreme Court pick. 

“Clearly, ‎the GOP’s autopsy report is dead.

“The good news is, voters have a better choice. Results are still coming in, but I want to congratulate our Democratic candidates for their hard work engaging voters heading into today’s primaries, doing so with great respect for one another, the American people, and our democracy. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders continue to keep the focus on ensuring everyone in America has a fair shot. They know how to build on the progress we’ve made over the last seven years, which is why one of them will be our next President.”