In an interview with the Miami Herald’s editorial board Thursday, Wasserman Schultz said that POLITICO’s story on the matter was “not true.” Former DNC chair clarifies Biden bat mitzvah tape

Former Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz acknowledged on Friday that Vice President Joe Biden had indeed recorded a video for her daughter’s bat mitzvah, a day after saying a POLITICO story on the matter was “not true."

But she made a point of clarifying that she hadn’t asked Biden to do so, and the vice president agreed, saying, “I give you my word.”


The vice president’s office had offered to shoot the bat mitzvah video, POLITICO reported last week, as something of a consolation prize after she asked Biden to attend the Jewish coming-of-age ritual in Boca Raton in person. Multiple DNC staffers had pointed to the episode as emblematic of Wasserman Schultz’s habit of privileging her personal concerns over those of the party, noting that she had been sent on a mission to ask the vice president for help with the committee's fundraising efforts.

In an interview with the Miami Herald’s editorial board on Thursday, Wasserman Schultz said that POLITICO’s story was “not true.”

"There was a lot that came out anonymously after you stepped out of the DNC role," a Herald reporter asked the former DNC chair, who resigned last weekend after hacked emails showed committee officials taking sides in the Democratic primary. "That suggested that maybe your political ambitions had been put before the party, and that maybe that was a reason -- one of the reasons -- people really wanted you out at that point, and no one came to your defense. I was wondering if you could talk about that -- I mean, the vice president's video for your daughter's bat mitzvah --"

"Which was not true," Wasserman Schultz interrupted. “I really don't think it's appropriate for me to be responding to anonymous criticism. If people do not have the nerve to be critical and put their name to it, then I'm not going to box nameless, faceless critics. I'm very proud of the work I did at the DNC."

Biden, however, brought up the video unprompted during a visit to Florida to help raise money for Wasserman Schultz’s re-election bid.

"Now, admittedly, I’m in love with her daughter," Biden began during a press gaggle on Friday, as Wasserman Schultz chuckled. "I wanted to go to her bat mitzvah. Couldn’t go so I sent a film. I probably ruined everything."

Asked about the video, Wasserman Schultz clarified her answer from the previous day: "I said that I didn't ask him to do it."

"She didn't,” Biden chimed in. “I give you my word."

"I was invited. Of course -- why wouldn’t I? I'm her close friend and I had planned on coming. The president gave me another assignment, so I asked -- which is the reason I asked about the video,” he said.

He continued: “It's usually not something that people would want to have -- a video, you know what I mean. A video at a bat mitzvah is like a video at a first Holy Communion. I mean, come on! But I just wanted [Wasserman Schultz's daughter] Shelby to know how much I care about her. And it's real. This is family, guys. For me, this is family."

POLITICO asked a DNC spokesperson last week whether it was true that Wasserman Schultz, “in a conversation meant to be about what the VP could do for the DNC, instead asked him to come to her daughter's bat mitzvah? And then instead of coming he sent a video that was played there?”

The spokesperson said only: “Vice President Biden is a friend of the Chairwoman and has known her daughter Shelby since she was seven. He has raised money for the DNC, and was scheduled to do a fundraiser for Chairwoman Wasserman Schultz that was ultimately rescheduled due to the Orlando tragedy.”

Marc Caputo contributed to this report.