Former Democratic Party
boss Donna Brazile’s forthcoming book fueled new turmoil on Monday as
another excerpt showed her taking aim at Hillary Clinton’s campaign,
this time leveling allegations of sexism against the campaign’s top male
lieutenants.
The Huffington Post reported on the passage, in which Brazile complained
about her treatment by campaign manager Robby Mook and his team.
The two supposedly were at odds over Mook’s refusal to let her hire a
temporary CEO when she took over the Democratic National Committee on an
interim basis.
Describing a tense conference call on the matter, Brazile reportedly
wrote: “I have worked with men all my life in politics and I can sense
when they get to this part about not being able to deal with a woman.
This is not a racial thing. This was a gender thing.”
She also reportedly wrote that she interjected during the call to say:
“You know, this does not feel like a negotiation to me. This feels like
power and control. Gentlemen, let’s just put our d---- out on the table
and see who’s got the bigger one, because I know mine is bigger than all
of yours.”
Brazile’s allegations against Clinton’s team – including the bombshell
claim that the DNC signed an agreement giving the campaign partial
control over party decisions before the primary was over – have rocked
the Democratic Party, and prompted strong pushback from some of Hillary
Clinton’s top aides.
One ex-Clinton aide told
the Huffington Post in response to the latest "Hacks" excerpt that,
“Given that she already had to walk back her claims about a rigged
nomination and was caught buying into a right-wing conspiracy about
Hillary’s health, I’m not sure how much more of this book people should
take seriously.”
This was an apparent reference to Brazile saying on ABC’s “This Week”
there was no evidence of nomination rigging, despite her description of
the special deal between the DNC and the campaign.
An open letter signed by dozens of Clinton campaign members including
Mook also said “we do not recognize the campaign she portrays in the
book.” That letter blasted one particular passage in which Brazile said
she considered trying to replace Clinton with then-Vice President Joe
Biden amid questions about the Democratic presidential nominee's health.
Despite Brazile's complaints about the campaign's attitude toward women,
Mook had some women on his team and reportedly liked Brazile’s choice
for DNC CEO.
President Trump, meanwhile, has used Brazile’s claims about the DNC-Clinton
camp deal to suggest a federal investigation be launched.
“The real story on Collusion is in Donna B's new book. Crooked Hillary
bought the DNC & then stole the Democratic Primary from Crazy Bernie!”
he tweeted last week.
Brazile took over as the interim DNC chairwoman in 2016 when Florida
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz was forced out over emails that indicated
the party organization unfairly favored Clinton over Sen. Bernie Sanders
during the primary.
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