Rumors are swirling on Capitol Hill as a divided Democratic National Committee question the capability of its own chairwoman, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz. If the rumors prove true, Wasserman Schultz’s time as chairwoman could be cut short before the party’s national convention in July.
Politico reports:
"Senate Democrats say privately that the polarizing DNC head and Florida congresswoman is just about the worst person to preside over the Democratic convention this summer and heal the party after her caustic remarks lately about Bernie Sanders. But talk of a coup attempt is all anonymous at this point."
Some Democrats said Wasserman Schultz is not capable of unifying the party against the presumptive Republican nominee, Donald Trump, The Hill reported.
Spokespersons from both the Sanders and Clinton presidential campaigns have concerns about Wasserman Schultz as well.
Sanders’ campaign manager, Jeff Weaver, said the chairwoman has "lashed out" against the Sanders campaign and that things have turned "personal," the Washington Times reported.
"Whether it was the cramped debate schedule at the beginning, whether it was shutting Senator Sanders off from his own data right before the Iowa caucuses, there’s a number of examples," Weaver said on Fox and Friends.
According to The Hill, Sanders has announced that if he is elected president, he would not support Wasserman Schultz as chairwoman.
"He believes that we need a chair who can effectively reach out to all the constituencies that are part of the Democratic Party," Michael Briggs, a spokesman for Sanders, said.
CNN reports that multiple anonymous Democrat sources who support the rumors, some are close advisers of President Obama and Clinton. Comments like "nobody is rushing to keep her," and that Wasserman Schultz is an "exhaustion" to deal with have led to a fractured Democratic party.
One Democratic senator said the rumor is "real." The senator told a Politico reporter that "it’s in [Wasserman Schultz’s] best interest and Hillary Clinton’s best interest" for her to step down.
Social media has further fueled the movement as Wasserman Schultz’s name is trending on Twitter. The trend has extended the rumor beyond Capitol Hill to the general public.
