Sen. Bernie Sanders on Sunday praised Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s decision to step down as head of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), at the same time admonishing her for not remaining impartial in the party’s presidential primaries.
{mosads}In a statement, Sanders said the DNC needs new leadership.
“Debbie Wasserman Schultz has made the right decision for the future of the Democratic Party. While she deserves thanks for her years of service, the party needs new leadership that will open the doors of the party and welcome in working people and young people,” Sanders said.
“The party leadership must also always remain impartial in the presidential nominating process, something which did not occur in the 2016 race.”
Wasserman Schultz announced on Sunday afternoon that she will step down as party chairwoman after the four-day Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia this week.
She will still open and close the convention, as well as address delegates “about the stakes involved in this election, in what will surely be a tense appearance on stage.
The move is the culmination of months of accusations that the chairwoman had her thumb on the scales in favor of presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. She made the announcement less than two days after a hacker leaked internal DNC emails lending credence to that theory.
Sanders called on Wasserman Schultz to resign earlier Sunday, saying the emails “reiterate the reason why she should not be chair.”
“I think she should resign, period, and I think we need a new chair that’s going to lead us in a new direction.”
Sanders has long accused Wasserman Schultz of working in Clinton’s favor.