Over the weekend, Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz was exposed for favoring Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders. It was also revealed that she sent an angry e-mail to Chuck Todd – headlined “Chuck, This Must Stop” – demanding better coverage on MSNBC’s Morning Joe after they called the DNC system “rigged” and Mika Brzezinski called for the party leader to resign on May 18.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Let's get to it, Mika. No, no, I'm saying, you called out Debbie Wasserman Schultz. I said, the system was rigged, right?
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Yeah.
SCARBOROUGH: That morning.
BRZEZINSKI: Yeah.
SCARBOROUGH: And Trump started using it later that evening. I need to do a trademark there, but that was the same day you said she should step down because it was rigged.
BRZEZINSKI: It didn't feel like a fair and partial process and that was her job at the time. And I think the e-mails obtained and released by WikiLeaks also revealed that and feature some mentions of Morning Joe.
Co-host Brzezinski hit the bullseye with her accusation that the DNC was not leading a fair or partial process, as we now know with certainty that the Chairwoman acted sans objectivity during the primaries between Sanders and Clinton.
WILLIE GEIST: So Debbie Wasserman Schultz complained back in May, among many other things, that Mika had called on her to resign over the party’s treatment of Bernie Sanders. Wasserman Schultz sent an e-mail to DNC communications director Luis Miranda calling Mika's comments, “the last straw." Adding that they were outrageous—
MIKE BARNICLE: Outrageous.
GEIST: —and she needs to apologize.
SCARBOROUGH: That’s nothing. That's nothing. You think that’s outrageous?
Wasserman Schultz took it one step further in an effort to lodge a formal complaint with the show’s producers.
GEIST: So Wasserman Schultz also reached out directly to NBC News writing, "this must stop." Another e-mail, this one from Miranda to the DNC’s press secretary had some not safe for work language, it reads in part, bleeping "Morning Joe."
SCARBOROUGH: Oh! Come on!
BRZEZINSKI: It says Joe. It’s bleeping Joe.
SCARBOROUGH: Everyone says that?!
HEILEMANN: I always thought that was the name of the show. [Laughter around tavern]
GEIST: Bleeping Joe. And they wanted a formal complaint to our producers.
DNC communications director Luis Miranda complained to a DNC colleague, “[F---g] Joe claiming the system is rigged, party against him, we need to complain to their producer.” The Democratic Party feels so entitled to the media that they can’t handle any tough criticism.
View Full Transcript Here:
07-25-16 MSNBC Morning Joe
06:03:31 AM – 06:06:25 AMMIKA BRZEZINSKI: Let's get to the big news though. Someone who will have decidedly a smaller role, Debbie Wasserman Schultz—
JOE SCARBOROUGH: What about that!
BRZEZINSKI: — will step down as DNC chair.
SCARBOROUGH: Who in the world ever saw that coming, Mika? [Laughter throughout tavern]
BRZEZINSKI: Yeah.
SCARBOROUGH: Who in the world, Mika! Ever. Like nobody said, oh, she should step down. Nobody would have ever said that.
BRZEZINSKI: That would be kind of mean.
SCARBOROUGH: That's Nostradamus, I mean come on.
BRZEZINSKI: But you only say that if there was something that doesn’t feel right.
SCARBOROUGH: Let's get to it, Mika. No, no, I'm saying, you called out Debbie Wasserman Schultz. I said, the system was rigged, right?
BRZEZINSKI: Yeah.
SCARBOROUGH: That morning.
BRZEZINSKI: Yeah.
SCARBOROUGH: And Trump started using it later that evening. I need to do a trademark there, but that was the same day you said she should step down because it was rigged.
BRZEZINSKI: It didn't feel like a fair and partial process and that was her job at the time. And I think the e-mails obtained and released by WikiLeaks also revealed that and feature some mentions of "Morning Joe." Debbie Wasserman Schultz—
SCARBOROUGH: I mean, yeah, big time. Big time. Really quickly, before we get into that though, John Heilemann, also though, there were complaints going all the way back to October also. This has been a long-running feud inside the Democratic party, even going back to October about the debates.
JOHN HEILEMANN: When they first rolled out the debate schedule, which was actually even earlier than that, people said, wait a second there's only six debates. All of them are front loaded, and you had in October was one, Debbie Wasserman Schultz told Tulsi Gabbard, the vice chair of the DNC, don't come to the first debate if you're going to complain about the debates. Everyone on the DNC leadership erupted and that was when the first person, R.T. Rybak, another vice chair called for her resignation in October. So people have been talking about this for a long time. And there is – you know that was the beginning of, hey, the system is rigged against Bernie Sanders.
BRZEZINSKI: Mike Barnicle.
MIKE BARNICLE: You had to get suspicious when one of the debates was scheduled opposite the super bowl. [Laughter throughout tavern]
BRZEZINSKI: Didn't seem right.
SCARBOROUGH: Alright so Willie hat do we got on this story?
WILLIE GEIST: So Debbie Wasserman Schultz complained back in May, among many other things, that Mika had called on her to resign over the party’s treatment of Bernie Sanders. Wasserman-Schutlz sent an e-mail to DNC communications director Luis Miranda calling Mika's comments, quote, the last straw. Adding that they were outrageous—
BARNICLE: Outrageous.
GEIST: —and she needs to apologize.
SCARBOROUGH: That’s nothing. That's nothing. You think that’s outrageous?
BRZEZINSKI: Stop.
SCARBOROUGH: You should hear what else.
GEIST: So Wasserman Schultz also reached out directly to NBC news writing, quote, this must stop. Another e-mail, this one from Miranda to the DNC’s press secretary had some not safe for work language, it reads in part, bleeping "Morning Joe."
SCARBOROUGH: Oh! Come on!
BRZEZINSKI: It says Joe. It’s bleeping Joe.
BRZEZINSKI: Everyone says that?!
HEILEMANN: I always thought that was the name of the show. [Laughter around tavern]
GEIST: Bleeping Joe. And they wanted a formal complaint to our producers.
SCARBOROUGH: Our producers. What?
BRZEZINSKI: Okay.
