Democratic National Committee chairperson Debbie Wasserman Schultz has announced that she will step down at the end of her party’s convention.
Wasserman Schultz issued a press release Sunday which said the best way to assist presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton to get elected was to step down.
Earlier Sunday, a report stated she would not be allowed to chair the Democratic National Convention but her release indicated she would remain in her role until the end of the convention.
“As Party Chair, this week I will open and close the Convention and I will address our delegates about the stakes involved in this convention, not only for Democrats but for all Americans,” she stated.
In the release, Wasserman Schultz also avoided any mention (or apology) for the content of the leaked emails which led to her resignation.
On Friday, some 19,000 emails were published on the website Wikileaks that suggested the Democratic National Committee played favourites during the primary, when Bernie Sanders fell short against Hillary Clinton.
In one leaked email, a DNC official wondered whether Sanders’ religious beliefs could be used against him, questioning whether the candidate may be an atheist.
READ MORE: Hacked emails show Democratic party hostility to Bernie Sanders
Sanders appeared on Meet the Press Sunday morning where he said he wasn’t surprised by the emails.
“This really does not come as a shock to me or my supporters,” Sanders said, while also noting that no one has apologized for the emails.
He also called for Wasserman Schultz to step down from her post.
“I think, as I have said a long time ago, that the time is now for Debbie Wasserman Shultz to step aside, not only for these issues,” he said. “We need a Democratic Party that is open, that could bring young people and working people into it, that is going to stand up and take on the big money interests and fight for working families.”
With files from Associated Press