“Look, I gotta say it’s not the DNC,” Weaver added. “You know, by and large, people at the DNC have been very good to us. Debbie Wasserman Schultz really is the exception.” Sanders camp slams Debbie Wasserman Schultz for 'throwing shade' Insults are being hurled inside the Democratic Party as part of the fallout from last Saturday's Nevada convention.

The latest controversy roiling the Democratic Party showed no signs of abating Wednesday, as Bernie Sanders’ campaign put the onus of the rift splitting Democrats on Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s failed leadership, accusing her of “throwing shade” on the Vermont senator from the beginning.

The chaos that ensued Saturday in Nevada at its state convention over what some perceived as unfair delegate allocations erupted onto the national scene and has lingered beyond two additional Democratic primaries, exposing the Democratic Party to infighting as the Republican Party takes steps to unify behind its presumptive presidential nominee.


Sanders’ campaign fired back at Wasserman Schultz on Wednesday morning after the Democratic National Committee chairwoman panned the campaign’s “anything but acceptable” response to reports of violence and threats from Sanders supporters at the Nevada Democratic convention over the weekend.

Jeff Weaver, Sanders’ campaign manager, pointedly accused Wasserman Schultz of undermining the Sanders campaign from the get-go and called into question her leadership.

“He categorically condemns any kind of threats that went on — absolutely unacceptable,” Weaver told CNN on Wednesday before accusing Wasserman Schultz of “throwing shade on the Sanders campaign since the very beginning,” citing a limited debate schedule that featured weekend debates, the campaign’s revoked access to its voter data and a joint fundraising agreement with Hillary Clinton’s campaign that Weaver said takes money away from state parties and goes to the DNC.

“Look, I gotta say it’s not the DNC,” Weaver added. “You know, by and large, people at the DNC have been very good to us. Debbie Wasserman Schultz really is the exception.”

The fracas over the weekend escalated on Tuesday after the Nevada Democratic Party lodged a formal complaint to co-chairs and members of the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee over the conduct of Sanders supporters and representatives of his campaign at the convention. The state party warned that the “very dangerous atmosphere that ended in chaos and physical threats to fellow Democrats” is indicative of what could happen in Philadelphia in July — a notion Hillary Clinton’s campaign has pushed back on.

Though Sanders won Oregon and narrowly lost Kentucky on Tuesday night, Wednesday morning’s headlines have largely stemmed from Saturday’s chaos and the aftermath. With the Democratic primary in its final phases, Sanders has shown no signs of giving up before the Democratic National Convention, despite Clinton’s big delegate lead. But the intense debate over Sanders’ handling of his supporters’ conduct, as well as the conduct itself, shows the challenges that lie in unifying the party behind Clinton, its likely nominee, come July. Democrats, however, ranging from both campaigns to the White House, have been steadfast in the belief that the party will coalesce around the nominee.

Sanders released a statement before the Nevada state convention and again after speaking with Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid on Tuesday.

In a statement Tuesday, Sanders condemned “any and all forms of violence” but noted that months ago shots were fired into his campaign office and a housing complex his campaign staffed lived in “was broken into and ransacked.”

“If the Democratic Party is to be successful in November, it is imperative that all state parties treat our campaign supporters with fairness and the respect that they have earned,” he said.

Though Clinton’s campaign praised Sanders for condemning the violence, neither Nevada Democratic Party Chairwoman Roberta Lange nor Wasserman Schultz were satisfied.

Lange, whose personal information was published online this week, said she cringes at the escalating threats that have been lobbed at her and her family, telling CNN on Wednesday that “in the coming days we’ll decide what’s going to happen” regarding legal action and adding that Sanders’ camp has treated the incident like it’s a joke.

“I feel like the Sanders campaign thinks that kind of stuff is laughable, and to me, it’s serious. A threat to somebody’s life is serious,” she said, later noting that Sanders should apologize.

California Sen. Barbara Boxer, a Clinton supporter who was at the state convention, said she spoke to Sanders by phone. Boxer told CNN she felt threatened by a group — 50 to 100, by her estimation — of older, red-faced Sanders supporters who shouted obscenities at her and said that her Senate colleague sounded distressed and expressed shock at what happened.

“This is serious stuff,” she said on CNN. “This is not what we need going into an election. There’s no place for this in either party. No place for this.”

Boxer added that she “certainly” feels better after speaking with Sanders and expressed confidence in him going forward.

“I expect Bernie to get ahold of this whole situation,” she continued. “That’s what I expect from a leader, and Bernie has shown that he’s a leader in this country.”

Appearing on CNN on Wednesday morning, Wasserman Schultz said Sanders’ statement wasn’t good enough. “With all due respect, when there is a ‘but’ in between condemnation of violence generally, and after the word ‘but’ you go on to seemingly justify the reason that the violence and intimidation has occurred, then that falls short of making sure that going forward this kind of conduct doesn’t occur in the future,” she said.

In his appearance on MSNBC, Weaver shot back that Wasserman Schultz’s remark was “ridiculous” and blasted her lack of leadership.

“It’s been pretty clear almost from the get-go that she has been working against Bernie Sanders — I mean, there’s no doubt about it — for personal reasons,” he said, again ticking through the criticisms he launched earlier but this time adding that the chairwoman “appointed really hostile Hillary Clinton partisans” to head standing committees, too.

“Debbie Wasserman Schultz has really been a divider and not really provided the kind of leadership that the Democratic Party needs,” he said.

Weaver said he speaks with high-ranking Democrats at the DNC with frequency but suggested there isn’t consensus “in terms of her tactics,” calling the revoked voter data access last year a “unilateral” decision from Wasserman Schultz.

“Believe me, there was tremendous pressure inside the party structure for her to relent,” Weaver said. “I don’t really know what her motivation is, but it’s been clear there’s a pattern of conduct from the beginning of this campaign that has been hostile to Bernie Sanders and his supporters and she’s really become a divisive figure in the party.”

Wasserman Schultz maintained that the rules are “eminently fair,” arguing that the current set of rules are the same regulations that resulted in Barack Obama’s nomination.

“But regardless, it is critical that we as candidates, we as Democratic Party leaders, everyone involved needs to make sure that we can take all the steps that we need to, to ensure that the process is not only run smoothly but that the response from the supporters of both candidates is appropriate and civil,” she said. “No one should be subjected to death threats.”

Wasserman Schultz said Lange “has been essentially stalked by phone, has had to endure unacceptable feedback through violence and intimidation” and called it her responsibility as DNC chair to ensure candidates and everyone involved understand the appropriate way to respond to frustration over process is with civility.

Despite the indirect back and forth, however, both parties expressed confidence that the Democratic Party can unite behind the eventual nominee, with Weaver, who reiterated that Sanders will support the nominee and do whatever he can to prevent a Donald Trump presidency, calling what happened in Nevada a “Nevada-centric issue.”

“Let’s not confuse what went on in Nevada with some kind of broader issue,” Weaver said. “We’ve had great relationships with state parties all across this country and continue to.”

Clinton press secretary Brian Fallon credited Sanders for condemning the violence and encouraged people not to read too much into what transpired in Nevada.

“There’s been state party conventions happening quietly without much notice across the country,” Fallon told CNN. “This was really the exception, not the rule. So we don’t think it’s a harbinger for Philadelphia.”

In another interview with CNN on Wednesday afternoon, Wasserman Schultz urged those wary of a chaotic national convention to take a deep breath and a step back, suggesting that the party will unite when the time comes and expressing willingness to be the punching bag during this bitter primary for the sake of the party.

“Being the national party chair is a bumpy ride. You know, you're gonna get bumped and bruised,” she told Wolf Blitzer. “If I have to absorb some of these body blows in order for the candidates to stay above the fray and for my colleagues on the ground in the state parties across the country to be able keep their head down and get the job done, then so be it.”

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest’s reaction at Wednesday’s press briefing was been there, seen that, telling reporters that the tenor of today’s coverage is likely similar to this time in 2008, when there were also questions of whether the party could come together.

“The point is that we've seen a lot of this before, and that's not to diminish anybody's candidacy. It’s not to diminish the passion and commitment of supporters for either candidate,” he said. “But it is an indication that the Democratic Party, in a general election, will be focused on a different question.”