Subject: RE: DRAFT STATEMENT ON NEVADA LETTER
From: April Mellody <[email-masked]>
To: Patrice Taylor <[email-masked]>, "Miranda, Luis" <[email-masked]>, "Garcia, Walter" <[email-masked]>, "Paustenbach, Mark" <[email-masked]>, "Dacey, Amy" <[email-masked]>, "Federico, Courtney" <[email-masked]>, "Walker, Eric" <[email-masked]>, "Alvillar, Raul" <[email-masked]>, "Khan, Ali" <[email-masked]>, Leah Daughtry <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 17 May 2016 16:23:14 +0000

One more suggestion - concerned that the first sentence below could be misinterpreted as the DNC accusing the Sanders campaign deliberately mischaracterizing this.  Do we want to go that far?  We could consider resting our argument more on the rules.  "The rules governing the Democratic Party have been in place for decades and the specific procedures for this cycle were agreed upon 2014..." +LDD too.

"We are also asking both campaigns to be forthright in their characterization of the primary process. In Nevada on Saturday, the state party's credentials committee was made up of an equal number of members representing both campaigns. The proceedings were appropriately managed, open to the public, transparent, and inclusive. The process for nominating a Democratic Presidential candidate is not something taken lightly, it is a four-year endeavor that is closely scrutinized and determined in public forums just as it has been in past election cycles. There is no excuse for what happened in Nevada, and it is incumbent upon all of us in positions of leadership to speak out."

From: Patrice Taylor [mailto:[email-masked]]
Sent: Tuesday, May 17, 2016 12:17 PM
To: Miranda, Luis <[email-masked]>; Garcia, Walter <[email-masked]>; Paustenbach, Mark <[email-masked]>; April Mellody <[email-masked]>; Dacey, Amy <[email-masked]>; Federico, Courtney <[email-masked]>; Walker, Eric <[email-masked]>; Alvillar, Raul <[email-masked]>; Khan, Ali <[email-masked]>
Subject: RE: DRAFT STATEMENT ON NEVADA LETTER

A couple of thoughts for consideration

In the first paragraph, the second sentence states that the DNC is reaching or has reached out to the campaigns and asked them to condone the behavior.  Has that happened?  I sent the letter to them but that was it so just flagging in case that specific ask has not yet been made.

In the second paragraph, sentences two and three, we are restating the facts provided by the Party.  I just don't know that we want to be as forward as saying it was "appropriately managed, open to the public, transparent, and inclusive" particularly when we like to say these events are run by the state party.

From: Miranda, Luis
Sent: Tuesday, May 17, 2016 11:50 AM
To: Garcia, Walter; Patrice Taylor; Paustenbach, Mark; April Mellody; Dacey, Amy; Federico, Courtney; Walker, Eric; Alvillar, Raul; Khan, Ali
Subject: DRAFT STATEMENT ON NEVADA LETTER

Here's a first draft on a statement to respond. Thoughts?

For Immediate Release
May 17, 2016

Contact: DNC Press - 202-863-8148

DNC Statement on Nevada Democratic Party Letter

WASHINGTON - DNC [Chair or spokesperson] today issued the following statement on a letter from the Nevada Democratic Party regarding threatening and violent behavior among some participants around their state party convention this weekend:

"We are deeply concerned about the troubling details laid out in the letter from the Nevada Democratic Party. We are immediately reaching out to the leadership of both of our campaigns to ask them to stand with the Democratic Party in denouncing the type of behavior on display over the weekend in Las Vegas. Our democracy is undermined any time threats, intimidation, physical violence or damage to property are present. If there are legitimate concerns, they must be addressed in an orderly, civil and peaceful manner.

"We are also asking both campaigns to be forthright in their characterization of the primary process. In Nevada on Saturday, the state party's credentials committee was made up of an equal number of members representing both campaigns. The proceedings were appropriately managed, open to the public, transparent, and inclusive. The process for nominating a Democratic Presidential candidate is not something taken lightly, it is a four-year endeavor that is closely scrutinized and determined in public forums just as it has been in past election cycles. There is no excuse for what happened in Nevada, and it is incumbent upon all of us in positions of leadership to speak out."

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