Washington – Wikleaks Release Shows Clinton Campaign Weighed Forcing Out Democratic Chairwoman

Washington – As early as last December, the Clinton campaign was planning to neutralize Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and forcing her out after the party convention was one of the options under discussion, according to the latest WikiLeaks release of emails hacked from the accounts of Clinton campaign chairman, John Podesta, which were posted Tuesday.

Other options forwarded by top campaign aide Heather Stone would have kept Wasserman Schultz in place but in a weakened capacity as a figurehead or a co-chairwoman that would cede power to a “general election chair” named by Clinton.

The memo urged “systemic shifts at the DNC leadership level” to help Clinton win a general election.

“Though we have reached a working arrangement with them, our dealings with party leadership have been marked by challenges, often requiring multiple meetings and phone calls to resolve relatively simple matters,” Stone’s memo said. “We are frequently caught in the middle of poor communication and a difficult relationship between the chairwoman and the executive director.”

Wasserman Schultz announced her resignation just before the DNC convention last summer after an earlier WikiLeaks hack of DNC emails showed party officials had favored Clinton over challenger Bernie Sanders. The party apparatus was supposed to stay scrupulously neutral during the primary campaign.

Wasserman Schultz was replaced on an interim basis by Donna Brazile.

The Clinton campaign memo floated former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm as either the general election chair or as a replacement for Wasserman Schultz.