Anxious party leaders brought down the hammer on outgoing Democratic National Committee chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz – and have now stripped her of the ceremonial duty of gaveling in the Democratic convention this afternoon.

Wasserman Schultz told the hometown Sun Sentinel newspaper: '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.

The swift turnaround came after Wasserman Schultz, who has become a reviled figure among supporters of Bernie Sanders, was in danger of getting shouted down on the convention floor, just as she was Monday morning at a meeting with Florida delegates.

But the senior Democratic lawmaker was resisting efforts to push her out immediately. She is only giving up her post at the end of the week when the convention concludes.

And a Democratic official told DailyMail.com Monday morning that Wasserman Schultz was still negotiating to keep her speaking slot at the convention.

According to the source she wanted to give the speech as a way to help her reelection. Hillary Clinton said in her statement on Wasserman Schultz's stepping down that she would back her in her election.

Supporters of Bernie held up their own candidate's signs – as well as signs reminding her of the hacked email scandal, during her appearance Monday

The formal gaveling will now be handled by Baltimore mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, a Democrat close to her told Politico.

Sanders hailed her departure Monday while addressing his own supporters – though many of them booed when he made the case for Hillary Clinton's election.

'Her resignation opens up the possibility of new leadership at the top of the Democratic Party that will stand with working people,' Sanders argued.

What had party leaders most concerned is that the convention's unity pitch would start out with mayhem like the kind that happened Monday morning, when Wasserman Schultz faced down jeers and hecklers as she addressed members of her own Florida delegation Monday a day after she agreed to step down under presser.

Wasserman Schultz – who is leaving her post at the end of the week – tried making a pitch for unity on Monday, the first day of the Democratic party meeting, but ended up getting shouted at by angry supporters of Bernie Sanders who believed she tipped the scales of her organization toward Hillary Clinton.

'We have to make sure that we move together in a unified way,' Wasserman Schultz told the crowd – only to face cries of 'Shame!'

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DRAMA: The tumult took place just as the Democrats are kicking off their convention – and hoping to put on a show of unity that would contrast with the emotional clashes that took place at the Republican Convention last week in Cleveland

THIS IS GOING WELL: Delegates loyal to Bernie Sanders waved signs and booed the disgraced Democratic National Committee chair, who struggled to command the room

Wasserman Shultz tried to regain control of the crowd as she faced continued booing.

'Alright everybody now, settle down. Everybody settle down everybody – please,' she said.

As the jeering continued, another official tried to put a lid on the disrespect by hitting a gavel. 'We have a big program today.

'Let's hear. Lets be respectful. Please be respectful so Debbie can speak,' said the official.

'Thank you all so much, Wasserman Schultz said, as the jeers continued.

Wasserman Schultz acknowledged the chaos when she said, ''So I can see that's little bit of interest in my being here and I appreciate that interest. And a little bit of interest from the press,' she said, according to Politico.

'But that really shows you that Florida is the most significant battleground state that will make sure that Hillary Clinton is elected president of the United States of America. We are the state that will deliver the White House to make sure that we can continue to make the progress that we have been able to make under Barack Obama for the last eight years.'

Clinton campaign spokesman Brian Fallon indicated to reporters that Wasserman Schultz made the decision to give up the gavel to make the convention a 'distraction-free event.'

'It was. Just like the decision yesterday was her decision. I think that yesterday she made the call that she would step down at the end of the week. She's hoping to eliminate any distractions this week because she's so committed to the display of unity that we want to see here at the convention, a distraction-free event,' he said.

Ask whether she decided today, Fallon responded: 'Yeah, so I think a lot of folks thought her stepping down may have eliminated the distractions. I think in retrospect she decided she needed to take this step and I think it's just a tribute to her willingness to do whatever it takes to have distraction-free convention here so we can come together as a party. And there's plenty of evidence that that's happening.'

Wasserman Schultz stunned Democrats yesterday with her announcement that she will leave her post on Friday. She will be replaced on an interim basis by party vice chair Donna Brazile.

As recently as Sunday evening, she was still planning to gavel the convention into order – an act that might subject her to even more ridicule on the floor from angry supporters.

On Sunday, during an appearance with Hillary Clinton while Clinton rolled out her new vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine, a heckler yelled out 'DNC leaks!'

NEEDED BACKUP: Another official tried to use the gavel to restore order after Wasserman Schultz lost control of the room as she was shouted down

Something to laugh about? Biased Debbie Wasserman Schultz is on the stage in Philadelphia on Sunday and showing no signs of contrition

THE STARS OF THE SHOW MONDAY: Sen. Elizabeth Warren Sen. Bernie Sanders First lady Michelle Obama TUESDAY: President Bill Clinton WEDNESDAY: Vice Presidential nominee Tim Kaine Vice President Joe Biden President Barack Obama THURSDAY: Chelsea Clinton Hillary Clinton Advertisement

It was a reference to the email leak that proved to be Wasserman Schultz's undoing. Internal emails showed staff trying to stir up questions about Bernie Sanders, even raising the issue of whether he is an atheist. Sanders, who was raised Jewish, says he isn't an atheist.

Sanders put out a statement Sunday saying the next DNC chair should be 'impartial,' after his campaign campaigned for months that Wasserman Schultz tried to boost Clinton through the debate schedule and other means.

Wasserman Schultz said Sunday: ''Going forward, the best way for me to accomplish those goals is to step down as Party Chair at the end of this convention.'

She continued: 'As Party Chair, this week I will open and close the Convention and I will address our delegates about the stakes involved in this election not only for Democrats, but for all Americans. We have planned a great and unified Convention this week and I hope and expect that the DNC team that has worked so hard to get us to this point will have the strong support of all Democrats in making sure this is the best convention we have ever had.'

A rapid series of events brought down Wasserman Schultz.

On Friday, Wikileaks released a trove of nearly 20,000 internal DNC documents. Reporters quickly uncovered damaging material, including one showing a DNC staffer trying to gin up questions about Sanders' faith, and another where Wasserman Schultz desperately tried to score Hamilton tickets for a reunion with her college pals.

'WE HAVE PLANNED A GREAT AND UNIFIED CONVENTION THIS WEEK': DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ' STATEMENT 'I have been privileged to serve as the DNC Chair for five and a half years helping to re-elect President Obama and Vice President Biden, strengthening our State Party Partnership in all 50 states, leading a vigorous primary election this past year while preparing for the general election and representing millions of Democrats across the country. I couldn't be more excited that Democrats are nominating our first woman presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, a friend I have always believed in and know will be a great President. 'We arrived here in Philadelphia with the most inclusive and progressive platform the party has ever proposed and a unified recommendation from the Rules Committee on our path forward as Democrats. I am proud of my role in leading these efforts. 'My first priority has always been serving the people of the 23rd district of Florida and I look forward to continuing to do that as their member of Congress for years to come. As the mother of my three amazing children and the Representative of Florida's 23rd congressional district, I know that electing Hillary Clinton as our next president is critical for America's future. I look forward to serving as a surrogate for her campaign in Florida and across the country to ensure her victory. 'Going forward, the best way for me to accomplish those goals is to step down as Party Chair at the end of this convention. As Party Chair, this week I will open and close the Convention and I will address our delegates about the stakes involved in this election not only for Democrats, but for all Americans. We have planned a great and unified Convention this week and I hope and expect that the DNC team that has worked so hard to get us to this point will have the strong support of all Democrats in making sure this is the best convention we have ever had. 'I've been proud to serve as the first woman nominated by a sitting president as Chair of the Democratic National Committee and I am confident that the strong team in place will lead our party effectively through this election to elect Hillary Clinton as our 45th president.' Advertisement

Hillary Clinton will try to put the still-simmering DNC leak scandal behind her by lining up a long parade of speakers from every faction of the Democratic Party to sing her praises inside the convention hall in Philadelphia this week

The plan, and the hope, is to put on a massive display of party unity that will provide a stark contrast with the drama that overtook the Republican convention in Cleveland. But the job got considerably harder after DNC emails leaked that showed party officials conspiring against Bernie Sanders

The revelations in the WikiLeaks hack prompted runner-up Bernie Sanders to call for Wasserman Schultz's resignation on Sunday

On Sunday morning, Sanders repeated his calls for Wasserman Schultz to resign, and termed the new revelations 'outrageous.'

''There's no question in my mind and I think there's no question in any objective observer's mind that the DNC was supporting Hillary Clinton and was in opposition to our campaign, so I'm not shocked by this and that is why many, many times I made clear Debbie Wasserman Schultz should resign,' Sanders told CNN's State of the Union.

Then, Democratic sources said Wasserman Schultz would no longer get a chance to speak – having been 'quarantined,' and reduced to the role of gaveling the convention in and out of order.

Then, on Sunday, Wasserman Schultz announced her resignation. But she still made an appearance on the convention floor, where she laughed as she strolled the blue carpet inside the Philadelphia convention hall.