Bernie Sanders’ campaign manager slammed Debbie Wasserman Schultz on Wednesday after she told CNN the Vermont senator did not do enough to condemn his supporters’ behavior at the party’s Nevada convention.
“We can have a long conversation about Debbie Wasserman Schultz just about how she’s been throwing shade on the Sanders campaign from the very beginning,” Jeff Weaver told CNN’s Chris Cuomo on “New Day” about the Democratic National Committee chairwoman.
“It’s not the DNC. By and large, people in the DNC have been good to us. Debbie Wasserman Schultz really is the exception,” Weaver added.
Asked about Weaver’s “throwing shade” comment Wednesday afternoon, Wasserman Schultz brushed off the comments.
“My response to that is hashtag SMH (shake my head),” Wasserman Schultz told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. “We need to focus on one thing: get through this primary and work to prepare for the general election and make sure that we can continue to draw the contrasts between either one of our really fine candidates who are focused on helping people reach the middle class and make sure that we get equal pay for equal work and create jobs and not let the Republicans take health care away from 20 million Americans.”
Chaos erupted at the state convention in Nevada this weekend after Sanders supporters thought the convention was being shut down — leading to shouting and reports of chairs being thrown.
Top Democratic party officials, including Sen. Barbara Boxer, said they were harassed by the Sanders’ supporters at the gathering. Nevada Democratic party chairwoman Roberta Lange’s phone number was posted on social media, leading to over a thousand angry phone calls, text messages, and death threats.
The Sanders campaign released a statement Monday condemning any violence and threats, but Wasserman Schultz told Blitzer Tuesday night that the campaign’s response was “anything but acceptable.”
“It is never OK for violence and intimidation to be the response to that frustration,” she said. “That’s what happens with the Trump campaign. We can never resort to the tactics that they engage in.”