Did Donna Brazile Violate Campaign Laws?

In 2016, Donna Brazile, the then-interim chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), was found to have leaked two debate questions to Hillary Clinton's campaign during the 2016 US presidential election. This was revealed in an email leak by WikiLeaks. As a result, Brazile lost her contract with CNN, where she was a contributor, and faced accusations of compromising the integrity of the Democratic Party. However, there is no evidence that Brazile faced criminal charges in connection with the leak, and she has denied any wrongdoing. The question remains whether her actions broke the law and, if so, what consequences she should face.

Donna Brazile's role in the 2016 Democratic primary

Donna Brazile was the acting chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) during the 2016 Democratic primary. She assumed the role in July 2016, after Debbie Wasserman Schultz resigned at the start of the 2016 Democratic National Convention.

Brazile was responsible for a plan to spend money to increase inner-city voter turnout in places like Chicago and New Orleans, despite Illinois and Louisiana being considered uncompetitive. This was due to fears that Clinton would win the Electoral College vote but lose the popular vote.

Brazile's role in the 2016 Democratic primary became controversial after WikiLeaks revealed that she had shared debate questions with Hillary Clinton's campaign. On March 5, 2016, Brazile sent an email to John Podesta and Jennifer Palmieri with the subject line: "One of the questions directed to HRC tomorrow is from a woman with a rash." The woman in question, Mikki Wade, went on to ask Clinton a similar question about her family's experience with lead poisoning in Flint, Michigan.

On October 11, 2016, another WikiLeaks email dump revealed that Brazile had, on March 12, 2016, sent an email to Clinton communications director Jennifer Palmieri, with the subject line: "From time to time, I get questions in advance." In the email, Brazile expressed concern about Clinton's ability to answer a question about the death penalty. The following day, Clinton received a similar question at a CNN town hall debate.

Brazile initially denied the accusations, but later admitted to forwarding the questions, saying it was a "mistake I will forever regret." As a result of the scandal, Brazile resigned from her role at CNN, and there were calls for her to step down from her position at the DNC.

Brazile's relationship with Hillary Clinton

Donna Brazile is an American political strategist, campaign manager, and political analyst who served twice as acting Chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). She has also worked on several presidential campaigns for Democratic candidates, including Al Gore, Jesse Jackson, and Walter Mondale–Geraldine Ferraro.

Brazile initially denied the allegations and accused WikiLeaks of trying to "slow her groove". However, she later admitted to forwarding the debate questions in an essay for Time magazine, calling it "a mistake I will forever regret". She explained that her intention was to make all Democratic candidates look good and that she had worked closely with both campaigns to make it happen.

Despite the controversy, Brazile continued to defend her support for Clinton. In an interview, she stated, "I volunteered my time to elect Hillary Clinton. I spent every day working to elect Hillary Clinton and eliminating the debt." Brazile also received pushback from Clinton's campaign staff for her analysis of what went wrong for the Democrats in the 2016 election, as detailed in her book, "Hacks: The Inside Story of the Break-ins and Breakdowns That Put Donald Trump in the White House."

Brazile's resignation from CNN

Donna Brazile resigned from CNN in October 2016 after it was revealed that she shared two debate questions with Hillary Clinton's campaign during the 2016 United States presidential election. The questions were for CNN-sponsored town hall events and debates.

Brazile was a CNN contributor and Democratic National Committee (DNC) vice-chair at the time. She shared the questions with Clinton's campaign via email, and the emails were later leaked by WikiLeaks. The leak caused controversy, as it appeared to show Brazile giving Clinton's campaign advance notice of questions that would be asked at CNN events. This was a significant breach of journalistic ethics and called into question the integrity of the events.

CNN accepted Brazile's formal resignation on October 14, 2016, and released a statement saying they were “completely uncomfortable” with her interactions with the Clinton campaign. CNN President Jeff Zucker described Brazile's actions as “unethical” and “disgusting” and said he had “no tolerance” for such behaviour.

In a March 2017 essay for Time magazine, Brazile called sending the emails a "mistake I will forever regret." She explained that her job was to make all Democratic candidates look good and that she had worked closely with both campaigns to make that happen.

Brazile's book, Hacks

Brazile's book, *Hacks: The Inside Story of the Break-ins and Breakdowns That Put Donald Trump in the White House*, was published in November 2017. It provides an insider's account of the 2016 election, including the Russian hacking of the DNC, and the missteps made by the Clinton campaign and Obama administration that led to Trump's victory. Brazile writes that the party was beset by infighting, scandal, and hubris, while also reeling from an unprecedented attempt by a foreign power to influence the election. Brazile also discusses the Clinton campaign's overconfidence and its opponent's rule-breaking.

Brazile writes that she found the DNC to be in a state of disarray, financially and operationally, with unclear leadership. She describes the fundraising agreement between Clinton and the DNC as “unethical” and a “victory fund agreement”, which she says gave Clinton control of the party before she secured the nomination. Brazile also writes about her "alleged leaking" of debate questions to the Clinton campaign, which she called “a mistake I will forever regret”.

Brazile's book received mixed reviews. Some customers found the book insightful, compelling, and well-written, with Brazile's writing style described as funny and interesting. Others criticised the book for being self-serving, with a focus on unimportant personal details.

Brazile's impact on the Democratic Party

Donna Brazile's actions had a significant impact on the Democratic Party, particularly during the 2016 presidential election and its aftermath.

Brazile, a veteran political consultant and longtime member of the Democratic Party, became the interim chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) in July 2016, taking on a crucial role in the upcoming election. However, her tenure was soon marred by controversy when WikiLeaks revealed that she had shared debate questions with Hillary Clinton's campaign during the primaries. This breach of ethics compromised the integrity of the debates and caused Brazile to lose her contributor role at CNN.

The fallout from this incident had far-reaching consequences for the Democratic Party. Brazile's actions reinforced the perception that the DNC was biased in favour of Clinton during the primaries, a claim often made by Clinton's rival, Bernie Sanders, and his supporters. This perception of bias fuelled divisions within the party, with some feeling that the primary process was "rigged" against Sanders.

In the aftermath of the election, Brazile published a memoir, "Hacks: The Inside Story of the Break-ins and Breakdowns That Put Donald Trump in the White House," in which she made explosive allegations about the inner workings of the DNC and the Clinton campaign. Brazile claimed that an unethical agreement between the DNC and the Clinton campaign gave Clinton control over important party departments and resources, hindering Brazile's ability to carry out her role as chair effectively. She also suggested that this agreement was made before Clinton was formally selected as the nominee, giving Clinton an unfair advantage over Sanders.

These revelations caused significant turmoil within the Democratic Party, as they seemed to validate the claims of those who felt the primary process was unfair. However, Brazile later contradicted herself by stating that she found no evidence of rigging or unfair practices, possibly due to pushback from Clinton loyalists and her longtime friends and colleagues within the party. This contradiction only served to further confuse and divide Democrats, with some standing by Brazile's initial claims and others refuting them.

The impact of Brazile's actions and revelations extended beyond the immediate aftermath of the 2016 election. The perception of a rigged primary system continued to shape the Democratic Party's internal dynamics and influenced how Democrats chose their nominee for the 2020 election. The controversy surrounding Brazile's actions and statements contributed to a broader discussion within the party about fairness, transparency, and the role of party elites in the nomination process.

In conclusion, Donna Brazile's actions, particularly her sharing of debate questions with the Clinton campaign and her subsequent revelations about the DNC-Clinton agreement, had a significant and lasting impact on the Democratic Party. Her actions fuelled divisions, called into question the integrity of the party's nomination process, and prompted a broader discussion about the role of party elites and the need for reform.

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