During his appearance today on Morning Joe, Martin O’Malley bemoaned the Democratic National Committee’s limitation of the 2016 debates, calling it part of a plan to maintain Hillary Clinton‘s frontrunner status.

O’Malley and Bernie Sanders have both voiced their objections with the DNC in the past, saying that they were trying to limit the number of debates from previous election cycles, and timing the debates to maintain the status quo with fewer viewers. O’Malley brought up these assertions again, and said chairwoman Debbie Wassermann Schultz is committing a “terrible disservice” to the party with these actions, and argued that she was trying to mask the discussions “behind football games and ‘Frosty the Snowman.'”

Former DNC Chairman Howard Dean disagreed that the committee was deliberately trying to “cook the books” in Clinton’s favor, saying she is a skilled debater and that candidates complain about the scheduling every cycle. When O’Malley pushed back, Dean asked whether he ever considered challenging his competition to an exhibition debate outside the DNC’s schedule.

“You think I haven’t done that,” O’Malley shot back. “I asked Senator Sanders. [He] doesn’t want to do more debates either. He kind of likes where it is.”

After that, O’Malley said that the Democratic Party was showing the same concentration of powers they say they wish to change, but expressed optimism that a change was imminent.

“I believe that people are going to surprise the pundits and the bigwigs in Washington who thought they were cheated by trying to limit these debates.”

Watch above, via MSNBC.

[h/t CNN]

[Image via screengrab]

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