Acting Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Accused of Leaking Debate Material to Clinton
WikiLeaks has posted alleged e-mails from Donna Brazile.
-- A new email posted today to WikiLeaks claims acting Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Donna Brazile leaked a question to Hillary Clinton's team the day before a primary debate between Clinton and Bernie Sanders.
"One of the questions directed to HRC tomorrow is from a woman with a rash," Brazile purportedly wrote on March 5, 2016, to Clinton's campaign chairman, John Podesta, and to her communications director before the CNN debate in Flint, Michigan.
"Her family has lead poison and she will ask what, if anything, will Hillary do as president to help the ppl of Flint. Folks, I did a service project today. It's so tragic. And what's worse, some homes have not been tested and it's important to encourage seniors to also get tested," the email continues.
Brazile was not the acting DNC chairwoman at the time she sent either purported emails in question, but she was a vice chairwoman of the party and a regular contributor to news outlets, including CNN and ABC. She was suspended as a contributor to both CNN and ABC News in July when she became Acting Chairwoman of the party.
The next day, at the debate, Lee-Anne Walters asked the candidates, "My family, the city of Flint and the children in D.C. were poisoned by lead. Will you make a personal promise to me right now that, as president, in your first 100 days in office, you will make it a requirement that all public water systems must remove all lead service lines throughout the entire United States and notification made to the citizens that have said service lines?"
Brazile has been under fire for separate email leaked earlier this month that suggested she gave a question to the Clinton campaign before a CNN town hall. On Oct. 11, 2016, after a round of headlines about possible leaked questions, she denied ever sharing questions for the CNN debates with the candidates.
"As it pertains to the CNN debates, I never had access to questions and would never have shared them with the candidates if I did," she said in a statement.
Monday, however, CNN confirmed that it had accepted Brazile's resignation. The network denied that she had access to debate material.
"On Oct. 14, CNN accepted Donna Brazile's resignation as a CNN contributor. (Her deal had previously been suspended in July when she became the interim head of the DNC,)" CNN spokewoman Lauren Pratapas wrote. "CNN never gave Brazile access to any questions, prep material, attendee list, background information or meetings in advance of a town hall or debate. We are completely uncomfortable with what we have learned about her interactions with the Clinton campaign while she was a CNN contributor."
Brazile tweeted an apparent goodbye note to CNN Monday morning: