Facing a hearing before a federal judge, the DNC reversed course and gave the Bernie Sanders campaign back immediate access to their voter files.
In a statement, Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver said:
We are extremely pleased that the DNC has reversed its outrageous decision to take Sen. Sanders’ data. The information we provided tonight is essentially the same information we already sent them by email on Thursday,” said Jeff Weaver, Sanders’ campaign manager.
Clearly, they were very concerned about their prospects in court. Now what we need to restore confidence in the DNC’s ability to secure data is an independent audit that encompasses the DNC’s record this entire campaign. Transparency at the DNC is essential. We trust they have nothing to hide.
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Momentum was growing on the side of the Sanders campaign. Prominent Democrats like former Obama senior advisor David Axelrod had called for access to their voter files to be returned to the Sanders campaign.
On Friday evening, the Clinton campaigned urged a quick solution to the lawsuit, and the immediate restoration of the Sanders voter files.
For the sake of party unity, it was vital that this dispute was resolved quickly. Both the Sanders and Clinton campaigns have now called for an independent audit into the DNC’s ability to secure the voter data.
What the fired Sanders staffer did was beyond wrong, and the Clinton campaign had every right to be concerned about the security of their data, but this is clearly a problem with the DNC and their vendor.
There will be no lawsuit. The Democratic candidates can take the debate stage on Saturday night focused on the issues, not data breaches.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
