| | | | Welcome to the Democratic Party's Thunderdome | | Because Donald Trump dominates so much of the political coverage day in and day out, it's easy to lose sight of this basic fact: Democrats have problems of their own. Big ones.
Witness the Politico piece that published Thursday by Donna Brazile, the chair of the Democratic National Committee in the final months of the 2016 campaign.
In it, Brazile alleges that the Democratic National Committee was wholly owned by Hillary Clinton and her campaign prior to the party's presidential nomination being decided -- the result of a fundraising agreement cut between the party committee and Clinton's team.
Writes Brazile: "The funding arrangement with [Hillary For America] and the victory fund agreement was not illegal, but it sure looked unethical. If the fight had been fair, one campaign would not have control of the party before the voters had decided which one they wanted to lead. This was not a criminal act, but as I saw it, it compromised the party's integrity."
The Brazile allegations confirm the suspicions of supporters of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders that the party establishment's thumb was always on the scale for Clinton. That the party apparatus worked to keep Sanders from having a fair chance at winning the Democratic nomination because, well, they didn't like him.
Asked about the Brazile piece, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren told CNN's Jake Tapper on Thursday afternoon that she believed the 2016 primary to be rigged.
This. Is. A. Big. Deal.
The forces aligned with Clinton and those aligned with Sanders have been sniping at one another ever since the primary ended in June 2016. While they have found a common enemy in Trump, the ill will has never really gone away.
The Clinton people -- up to and including the candidate herself -- believe Sanders' attacks on her during the primary hurt her chances against Trump in the general election. The Sanders crowd thinks Clinton won only because the system was rigged against him.
Brazile's essay, which is part of a forthcoming book about her time at the top of the DNC during the 2016 election, is compelling evidence the Bernie backers were -- and are -- right.
The Point: A behind-the-scenes fight is now a very public skirmish. And it's only going to get nastier in the coming months and years.
-- Chris | | From CNN's Eric Bradner:
The Democratic National Committee fired its finance director, Emily Mellencamp Smith, after five months on the job. The context here: The DNC had raised $51 million in the 2017 calendar year through September … compared to the RNC's $104 million.
Here's DNC press secretary Michael Smith's statement: "We are grateful for Emily Mellencamp Smith's work to help build a fundraising team that will raise the funds to win in 2017, 2018 and beyond. Emily is going back to consulting and helping elect Democrats in upcoming races, including staying on in a consulting role for the DNC at this time." The DNC announced it had hired Mellencamp Smith, a longtime Senate Democratic fundraiser who most recently worked on Maggie Hassan's campaign, in June. | | MENENDEZ TRIAL: CLOSING ARGUMENTS | | CNN's Laura Jarrett sent us a dispatch from New Jersey, where she continues to cover Sen. Bob Menendez's corruption trial.
"They're lying."
"He got caught."
"What's he hiding?"
This is only a small taste of what jurors in New Jersey heard today during closing arguments in Sen. Bob Menendez's federal corruption trial. Jurors (for the most part) appeared alert and listening carefully as both sides began their last attempt to persuade them to use their "common sense" to convict or acquit Menendez and a wealthy doctor from Florida.
The defense team injected doubt at every turn, while the prosecution tried to button down loose ends.
And it's not over yet...
Read more in Laura's story here. | | | Chance the Rapper, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Francis and the Lights sing Hamilton's "Dear Theodosia" together during the Obama Foundation Summit's closing ceremony. Watch on YouTube here. If you aren't a huge "Hamilton" fan (or are over the hype), you can also listen to Lin-Manuel Miranda and Common freestyle at the summit. | | Former FBI Director James Comey has a title and cover for his book: "A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership." The book will go on sale on May 1, 2018, almost a year after he was fired.
Following news of his book, Comey jokingly tweeted: "Lordy I hope there are pictures," a reference to his famous quote from his Senate Intelligence Committee Hearing in June: "Lordy, I hope there are tapes." | | | The White House announced Thursday that Sam Clovis, President Trump's nominee to be the Department of Agriculture's chief scientist, withdrew himself from consideration. Sources told CNN that Clovis' nomination was imperiled over his connections to the ongoing Russia probe. Trump had picked Clovis for the position despite him not having a background in science. And as CNN's KFILE team previously reported, Clovis also has a history of making racially charged and homophobic comments. | | TIM KAINE ON WOMEN'S EQUALITY | | Sen. Tim Kaine penned a guest column for Esquire titled "Why Men Need to Step Up for Women's Equality — and How I Plan to Do My Part." CNN's Betsy Klein flagged this interesting paragraph from the piece, which touches on when Kaine was on the trail with Hillary Clinton.
Kaine wrote: "Men need to step up and accept our central role in combating the sexism and harassment that stand in the way of true women's equality. In 2016, I was proud to be Hillary Clinton's running mate. After a lifetime of strong women being key to my success in work and politics, I hoped my own service might normalize the role of strong men supporting strong women leaders. But the attitudes toward Hillary that we saw on the trail—the 'lock her up' chants, the 'Killary' and 'Shrillary' memes, the proliferation of bogus conspiracy theories and vulgar attacks — showed how far away American men are from respecting women and accepting our own role in combating sexism." | | ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST | | Republican Rep. Lamar Smith announced Thursday he will not seek re-election for his seat in the 21st District of Texas.
"For several reasons, this seems like a good time to pass on the privilege of representing the 21st District to someone else," Smith, who has served in Congress since 1987, said in a statement. "I have one new grandchild and a second arriving soon!! And I hope to find other ways to stay involved in politics."
Smith joins a growing list of Republicans not seeking a re-election, including Reps. Pat Tiberi of Ohio, John J. Duncan Jr. of Tennessee, Dave Reichert of Washington, Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania and Rep. Dave Trott of Michigan.
Read more in CNN's story by Daniella Diaz and Deirdre Walsh. | | | We don't expect you to kiss us -- but please tell everyone you know to subscribe to The Point! | | We'd love to share our other newsletters with you. Follow this link for daily coverage of the world's top stories, savvy market insights, an insider's look into the media and more. Our authors for The Point are Chris Cillizza and Saba Hamedy. Send your tips and thoughts via email to Chris or Saba. Follow on Twitter: Chris and Saba. | | | Get the Nightcap, a comprehensive summary of the most important political news, delivered to your inbox daily. | | | | | |
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