The Hillary Clinton campaign has sent a letter to Clark County Democratic Party officials demanding the removal of the credentials chairman for Saturday's convention that will choose delegates to the state convention next month who could go to Philadelphia this summer.

The board met last night and the situation boiled over with the credentials chief, longtime activist Christine Kramar, refusing to leave the room. Here's part of what happened, another reminder that these things are run by volunteers and can be, ahem, messy Kramar had not been removed as of Saturday morning, and a meeting was scheduled between Sanders and Clinton reps to try to resolve the issue.

Kramar is accused of releasing confidential Clinton information to the Bernie Sanders campaign, as you can see from the letter (below), written by nationally known election lawyer Marc Elias.

The convention, which mirrors county events across Nevada on Saturday, is designed to choose slots for delegates. Clinton won the pledged delegate battle at the Feb. 20 caucus, 20-15. (Eight more delegates to the national convention in Philadelphia come from elected leaders and others.)

Here's how they are apportioned:







National Delegate Category Delegates Alternates District-Level Delegates 23 2 Unpledged Party Leader and Elected Official Delegates 8 0 Pledged Party Leaders and Elected Official Delegates 5 0 At-Large Delegates 7 1

So because there are odd numbers in the pledged party leaders and at-large delegate pools, there will be uneven splits, with those odd delegates potentially up for grabs. The Sanders campaign would need a huge shift in Clark County, where Clinton won by almost 10 percentage points, to get those.

The issue is Clinton protecting that lead because unfilled slots allow for some mischief if the Sanders folks can pack the convention. That's why who gets in -- i.e. who gets credentialed -- is so important.

Today ought to go smoothly.

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Clark County Democratic Party Executive Board

Chris Miller, Chair

6233 Dean Martin Dr.

Las Vegas, NV 89118

chrisisademocrat@gmail.com

Re: Removal of Christine Kramer as Credentials Chair

Dear Chair Miller:

I write as general counsel to Hillary for America to request the immediate removal of Christine Kramar as Credentials Chair of the Clark County Democratic Convention to take place this Saturday, April 2. Throughout Hillary for America’s attempts to engage with Ms. Kramar regarding the credentialing of convention delegates and other matters, Ms. Kramar has publicly engaged in a series of egregious, disruptive and biased behavior that irreparably undermines her credibility to administer a fair and successful convention on Saturday.

First, in an email sent today, March 30, Ms. Kramar exposed confidential Hillary for America (“HFA”) campaign information and data by unilaterally adding a representative of Senator Sanders’ campaign into a chain of email correspondence between HFA, the Clark County Democratic Party and the Nevada State Democratic Party. As you know, the confidentiality and propriety of data is paramount to any campaign. Ms. Kramar’s carelessness – or worse – in exposing HFA’s data is plainly unacceptable and must not be tolerated.

Second, in another email sent today to both campaigns, Ms. Kramar engaged in a series of unwarranted and inexcusable personal attacks against HFA representatives, and frivolously accused HFA of engaging in unethical practices in its preparation for Saturday’s convention. Indeed, it is apparent from Ms. Kramar’s email that she is advocating for positions in her role as credentials chair based on candidate-specific grounds, rather than making impartial decisions that are in the best interest of the tens of thousands of Clark County Democrats who turned out to caucus last month and who wish to participate as delegates to the Clark County Democratic Convention. Ms. Kramer’s behavior is at odds with the values of Nevada Democrats and the spirit of the primary campaign between Secretary Clinton and Senator Sanders.

In her latest email to both HFA and the Sanders campaign regarding the credentialing of delegates, Ms. Kramar issued HFA an ultimatum: either the county convention proceed on Saturday under the terms agreed upon by both campaigns or the convention be delayed for further discussion and resolution of various credentialing rules. To be clear: it is and always has been HFA’s position that the Clark County Democratic Convention proceed as scheduled and under the agreed-upon rules and procures. However, it is my strong belief that Ms. Kramar’s behavior demonstrate that she is not suited to administer the convention in an impartial way according to those rules and procedures. As a result, I respectfully request that this board immediately relieve Ms. Kramer from playing any role related to the credentialing of delegates or any other party procedures to take place at this Saturday’s county convention.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if it would be helpful to discuss this matter further.

Very truly yours,

Marc E. Elias

General Counsel to Hillary for America