The follow up on Donna Brazile’s book excerpt continues to yield interesting information. Now Alex Seitz-Wald of NBC obtained documents from 2015 that prescribed how the allocated general funds would be handled and how the winning campaign would have input into DNC messaging and staffing. This sheds more light on what Brazile described.
Full memo
Tom Perez had earlier confirmed that the Joint Financing Agreement itself was the same between the two major campaigns. Several quotes from the NBC story give important detail:
In exchange for Hillary for America's (HFA) helping the cash-strapped DNC raise money, the committee agreed "that HFA personnel will be consulted and have joint authority over strategic decisions over the staffing, budget, expenditures, and general election related communications, data, technology, analytics, and research."
Specifically, the DNC agreed to hire a communications director from "one of two candidates previously identified as acceptable to HFA." And while the DNC maintained "the authority to make the final decision" on senior staff in the communications, technology, and research departments, it said it would choose "between candidates acceptable to HFA."
However, the memo also made clear it pertained only to the general election, not the primary season, and it left open the possibility it would sign similar agreements with other candidates.
"Nothing in this agreement shall be construed to violate the DNC's obligation of impartiality and neutrality through the Nominating process. All activities performed under this agreement will be focused exclusively on preparations for the General Election and not the Democratic Primary," the memo states.
"Further we understand you may enter into similar agreements with other candidates," it continues.
We don’t know if a similar memorandum existed with the Bernie campaign as this memorandum contemplates, seems likely not but there could possibly be. It would be interesting to see.
I may update this diary further as I read further.