Bernie Sanders Says Debbie Wasserman Schultz Will Be Gone From DNC If He's President

He also endorsed her primary challenger.
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Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) went all in on Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), the head of the Democratic National Committee, on Saturday, saying he supports a primary challenger in her re-election bid for her House seat and would remove her from the DNC if elected president.

Sanders has repeatedly accused the DNC, which is neutral in the Democratic primary, of favoring his rival, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

He told CNN's Jake Tapper he "clearly" favors the DNC head's opponent, law professor Tim Canova.

"His views are much closer to mine than Wasserman Schultz's," the senator said in an interview that will air Sunday on "State of the Union."

"With all due respect to the current chairperson, if elected president, she would not be reappointed to be chair of the DNC."

Wasserman Schultz criticized Sanders this week after his supporters unleashed brutal sexist attacks on the head of the Nevada Democratic party.

Jeff Weaver, Sanders' campaign manager, said this week that Wasserman Schultz has been "throwing shade" on Sanders' campaign for a long time. Sanders also sued the DNC after it claimed he improperly accessed voter data and blocked his access to a database, but he dropped the suit in April.

In March, President Barack Obama endorsed Wasserman Schultz, whose term ends in January next year. He had nominated her in 2011.

Update: On Sunday, Sanders' campaign asked supporters to donate to Canova.

 

 

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Bernie Sanders And Hillary Clinton Face Off
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Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders participate in the debate hosted by NBC News and YouTube on Jan. 17, 2016, in Charleston, South Carolina. (credit:Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
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Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders greet the audience before the PBS NewsHour Presidential Primary Debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Feb. 11, 2016. (credit:Tasos Katopodis/AFP/Getty Images)
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Hillary Clinton speaks during a campaign event in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on Feb. 6, 2016. (credit:Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton listens as Bernie Sanders speaks during the MSNBC Democratic debate at the University of New Hampshire in Durham on Feb. 4, 2016. (credit:Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images)
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Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton participate in the PBS NewsHour Democratic presidential candidate debate at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Feb. 11, 2016. (credit:Win McNamee/Getty Images)
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Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders listens as Hillary Clinton (not in picture) speaks during the MSNBC Democratic debate at the University of New Hampshire in Durham on Feb. 4, 2016. (credit:Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images)
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Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton participate in the PBS NewsHour Democratic presidential candidate debate at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Feb. 11, 2016. (credit:Win McNamee/Getty Images)
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Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders field questions from moderators Lester Holt and Andrea Mitchell (right) during the Democratic debate hosted by NBC News and YouTube on Jan. 17, 2016, in Charleston, South Carolina. (credit:Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
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Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks to supporters during her caucus night event in the Olmsted Center at Drake University on Feb. 1, 2016, in Des Moines, Iowa. (credit:Win McNamee/Getty Images)
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Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders participate in the MSNBC Democratic debate at the University of New Hampshire in Durham on Feb. 4, 2016. (credit:Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images)
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Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton participate in the PBS NewsHour Democratic presidential candidate debate at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Feb. 11, 2016. (credit:Win McNamee/Getty Images)
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Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speaks at the New Hampshire Democratic Party's 2016 McIntyre Shaheen 100 Club Celebration on Feb. 5, 2016. (credit:Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
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Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton participate in the PBS NewsHour Democratic presidential candidate debate at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Feb. 11, 2016. (credit:Win McNamee/Getty Images)
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Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders chat following the Democratic debate hosted by NBC News and YouTube on Jan. 17, 2016, in Charleston, South Carolina. (credit:Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
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Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at the MSNBC Democratic debate at the University of New Hampshire on Feb. 4, 2016, in Durham, New Hampshire. (credit:Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
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Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders shake hands as they participate in the MSNBC Democratic debate at the University of New Hampshire in Durham on Feb. 4, 2016. (credit:Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images)
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Candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders gesture during the Democratic presidential candidate debate in Charleston, South Carolina, on Jan. 17, 2016. (credit:Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders shake hands before participating in the MSNBC Democratic debate at the University of New Hampshire in Durham on Feb. 4, 2016. (credit:Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images)