Debbie Wasserman Schultz Will Not
Gavel in the Democratic Convention

By Jeremy Stahl | Slate | July 25, 2016

Debbie Wasserman Schultz will NOT gavel in the 2016 Democratic ConventionOutgoing Democratic National Committee chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz will not gavel in the Democratic National Convention on Monday, as originally planned.

"I have decided that in the interest of making sure that we can start the Democratic convention on a high note that I am not going to gavel in the convention," Wasserman Schultz told the Orlando Sun-Sentinel.

Wasserman Schultz was forced to resign over the weekend after WikiLeaks published embarrassing emails from the ostensibly neutral DNC that seemed to demonstrate a bias against Bernie Sanders during his primary campaign against Hillary Clinton.

"I stepped down the other day because I wanted to make sure that having brought us to this momentous day and to Philadelphia and planned the convention that is going to be the best one that we've ever had in our party's history that this needs to be all about making sure that everyone knows that Hillary Clinton would make the best president," she told the Sun-Sentinel.

Wasserman Schultz was scheduled to have a major speaking role at the convention, and it was unclear if she would still be doing that.

DNC vice chairwoman Donna Brazile, who will be taking over as chairwoman, had earlier said that she felt that Wasserman Schultz deserved to be part of the convention and to gavel it in.

But after Wasserman Schultz spoke on Monday at a meeting of Florida Democratic delegates and was booed heartily by Sanders supporters, it looks like it was decided that her presence at the opening of the convention might be too much of a distraction.

One of the most damaging leaked emails showed top DNC officials apparently commenting on how they'd like to see Sanders questioned about whether or not he believed in God. But Wasserman Schultz was also critical of Sanders' campaign manager, calling him an "ass" and a "liar." She also seemed to be critical of Sanders for changing party affiliation from independent in the Senate to Democrat in order to run in the Democratic primary. Of Sanders' criticism of the DNC, she said this: "Spoken like someone who has never been a member of the Democratic Party and has no understanding of what we do."