A larger concern, Mr. Frank added, is that Mr. Sanders, by arguing the convention committees are tilted in Mrs. Clinton’s favor, is unfairly feeding perceptions that he is being robbed of the nomination.
Barney Frank: “What troubles me is that he and some of his people are trying to build a story that when he doesn’t get the nomination that he was somehow unfairly deprived of it,” Mr. Frank said. “It’s nonsense. She’s got more pledged delegates, she’s won more contests and she has millions of more votes.”
Sanders spokesman Michael Briggs said: “This doesn’t settle anything. We will raise the same serious issues when the committees convene” at the convention.
This way-too-long race has taken yet an even more unexpected turn.
Team Sanders had their lawyer write up a 4-page letter that asked for the removal and disqualification of Standing Rules committee chair Barney Frank and Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy, chair of the Platform committee. Why? Because they were both critical of Bernie Sanders. They even went as far as bringing up criticism Barney Frank leveled at Bernie Sanders all the way back in 1991, 25 years ago.
Here is the relevant part of Team Bernie’s brief that was sent to the DNC:
Notice the reference to the 1991 criticism Barney Frank had for Bernie Sanders. Notice the editorial license this letter took — Mr. Frank answered glibly.
Now, as to what happens if the DNC did not comply with the demand?
The Campaign will seek resolution of these issues by presenting its objections in motions as the first items of business at the initial meetings of the Standing Platform and Rules Committees, and, to the extent necessary, will request the drafting of minority reports from both Standing Committees or presentation to the floor of the full Convention.
Minority reports? Wait, Nevada, right? Ruckus. RUCKUS? We don’t want no stinking ruckus at the Democratic convention. We want to defeat Trump.
Alas, the DNC would have none of it. The DNC answer stated:
Sanders fails to oust Clinton backers from convention roles
Democratic officials responded to Sanders' request on Saturday, saying in a letter that Malloy and Frank were elected under party rules and that Sanders wasn't alleging any violations of that process.
The DNC says it reviewed the challenge, found it failed to meet the criteria and "we are compelled to dismiss it."
So, the challenge has no basis, because Malloy and Frank are elected officials under party rules, and Team Sanders wasn’t alleging any violations or rule break. Thus, officials duly elected can’t just be removed willy-nilly because someone doesn’t like someone else, or has a personal vendetta against someone.
The Sanders campaign has retorted back that they are moving on to take further action on this:
Bernie Sanders Fights to Oust Two Hillary Clinton Backers From Key Convention Posts
After the DNC committee announced it’s rejection of the complaint and said it was retaining Messrs. Frank and Malloy, Sanders spokesman Michael Briggs said: “This doesn’t settle anything. We will raise the same serious issues when the committees convene” at the convention.
It is not enough that they embarrassed themselves with this action, that look quite vindictive and petty, now they want to take this “issue” up right at the convention. An issue that does not exist, as both Frank and Malloy are elected chairs.
For his part Barney Frank, in a Wall Street Journal interview on Saturday afternoon, stated that he feels that the Bernie campaign is ursuing this action to feed perceptions that he is being unfairly deprived of the nomination.
A larger concern, Mr. Frank added, is that Mr. Sanders, by arguin
p
g the convention committees are tilted in Mrs. Clinton’s favor, is unfairly feeding perceptions that he is being robbed of the nomination.
To the extent that his supporters buy that argument, it could be tougher for Democrats to unify the party in advance of the showdown with the presumptive Republican nominee, Donald Trump.
“What troubles me is that he and some of his people are trying to build a story that when he doesn’t get the nomination that he was somehow unfairly deprived of it,” Mr. Frank said. “It’s nonsense. She’s got more pledged delegates, she’s won more contests and she has millions of more votes.”
Barney Frank, in the same interview, also stated that he would have no problem staying neutral:
Mr. Frank, a former Massachusetts congressman, said in an interview Saturday that he would be able to remain neutral as co-chair of the rules committee. Should there be any issue before the committee that bears on Mrs. Clinton or Mr. Sanders becoming the nominee, Mr. Frank said he would recuse himself.
Mr. Frank noted that in the 2000s, he traveled to Burlington, Vermont at Mr. Sanders’s request and took part in a fundraising event for his then-congressional colleague.
Still, he made clear he isn’t impressed with Mr. Sanders’s record in the House and Senate. “We believe that Sen. Sanders’s approach to how you bring about progressive change is mistaken,” Mr. Frank said. “He’s arguing in part that he will be a more effective change agent and that’s relevant. The fact is that he has not been a very effective change agent in 25 years in Congress, and that seems to be relevant to voters in deciding who to support.”
In a separate interview with Politico Barney Franks stated the following:
Sanders calls for ouster of Clinton convention allies
"It is inconceivable to me that anything could come before that committee that will affect who the nominee is," Frank said. "I think what you have here is this: Sanders is losing to Hillary Clinton because she is getting many more votes and many more pledged delegates. Some of [the Sanders supporters] are trying to lay the claim that he's being unfairly deprived of this."
Asked what he thought Sanders' endgame goal was, Frank said it might be to suggest he was robbed of the nomination.
"I hope it is not to lay the basis for an inaccurate claim that he was unfairly denied the nomination and I do see some elements of this," Frank said. "We really had two nomination contests this year. Bernie Sanders is the nominee of the caucuses; Hillary Clinton is the nominee of the primaries, which are more Democratic."