Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Tom Perez struggled to answer questions about how he will work “to restore trust” among Democrats after a divisive 2016 presidential primary, as he dodged questions during an interview Sunday on NBC News’ “Meet the Press.”
Perez, who succeeded interim DNC chair Donna Brazile in February, skirted “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd’s question about whether or not the DNC “owed” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and his presidential campaign an investigation into charges that the primary process was rigged in Hillary Clinton’s favor. Brazile reignited the controversy last week when Politico published excerpts from her new book, “Hacks: The Inside Story of the Break-ins and Breakdowns That Put Donald Trump in the White House.” Brazile revealed that a funding agreement between Clinton’s campaign and the DNC may have tipped the scales in Clinton’s favor.
“How are you going to restore trust with Sanders supporters that the DNC is, is going to be a fair place to — is gonna be a fair arbiter here for the party?” Todd asked Perez, pointing to criticisms from progressive Democrats alleging that the Democratic Party’s 2016 primary was “rigged.”
The DNC chairman replied, “When I hear the word ‘rigged’ — let’s be very clear. Hillary Clinton won the Democratic primary by four million votes.”
“Where I think both [Sen. Elizabeth] Warren and [Rep.] Keith Ellison and myself, where we agree, is we have to earn the trust of the voters,” Perez continued. “And during the process of the Democratic primary, we fell short in that, undeniably. And I accepted that responsibility.”
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