STATEMENT by Jeff Weaver, Bernie Sanders 2016 Campaign Manager

[Segami]

DECEMBER 18, 2015

Two months ago, shortly after our digital vendor who conducts modeling for our campaign told us that there was failure in the firewall that prevents campaigns from seeing one another’s data, we contacted the DNC and told them about the failure. We were concerned that our data could be compromised and we were assured at the time the firewall would be restored.

Instead, we found out two days ago that once again, this sensitive and important data was compromised because the DNC and its vendor failed to protect it.

We have invested enormous campaign resources in acquiring the rights to use this proprietary information. But the DNC, in an inappropriate overreaction, has denied us access to our own data.

Let me briefly discuss the three issues involved here.

First, this is not the first time that the vendor hired by the DNC to run the voter file program, NGP VAN, has allowed serious failures to occur. On more than one occasion, they have dropped the firewall between the data of competing Democratic campaigns. That is dangerous incompetence. It was our campaign months ago that alerted the DNC to the fact that campaign data was being made available to other campaigns. At that time our campaign did not run to the media, relying instead on assurances from the vendor that the problem would be resolved. Unfortunately, the other day, the vendor once again dropped the firewall between the campaigns for some data.

Secondly, after discussion with the DNC it became clear that some of our staffers irresponsibly accessed some of the data from another campaign. That behavior is unacceptable to the Sanders campaign and we fired the staffer immediately and made certain that any information obtained was not utilized. We are now speaking to other staffers who might have been involved and further disciplinary action . Clearly, while that information was made available to our campaign because of the incompetence of the vendor, it should not have been looked at. Period.

Thirdly, rather incredibly, the leadership of the DNC has used this incident to shut down our ability to access our own information, information which is the lifeblood of any campaign. This is the information about our supporters, our volunteers, the lists of people we intend to contact in Iowa, New Hampshire and elsewhere. This is information that we have worked hard to obtain. It is our information, not the DNCs.

In other words, by their action, the leadership of the Democratic National Committee is now actively attempting to undermine our campaign. This is unacceptable. Individual leaders of the DNC can support Hillary Clinton in any way they want, but they are not going to sabotage our campaign – one of the strongest grassroots campaigns in modern history.

We are announcing today that if the DNC continues to hold our data hostage, and continues to try to attack the heart and soul of our campaign, we will be in federal court this afternoon seeking an immediate injunction.

What is required here is a full and independent audit of the DNC’s handling of this data and its security from the beginning of this campaign to the present, including the incident in October that we alerted them to.


Jeff Weaver

https://berniesanders.com/press-release/statement-jeff-weaver/

[kenfrequed]

1. Agreed

An independent audit is needed!

[Samantha]

2. Excellent statement and I especially applaud that last paragraph (nt)

[Segami]

3. "..What is required here..

"... is a full and independent audit of the DNC’s handling of this data and its security from the beginning of this campaign to the present, including the incident in October that we alerted them to..."

That doesn't sound like someone trying to cover up or hide the truth.

[JaneyVee]

6. Independent audit already under way.

[Segami]

9. They should file an injunction today...

if DWS and the DNC are determined to withhold their data access hostage. The immediate injunction should freeze ALL candidate's access to the data until the matter is investigated and resolved......no campaign should gain a political advantage until this matter is resolved......

[daleanime]

26. +1

[Sheepshank]

4. Bottom line...."Since the data was available, we took it.

....Don't count on our integrity, don't count on our sense of fair play, don't count on our honesty."

Got it.

[JTFrog]

15. Yup.

The "it was just lying there" excuse is ridiculous.

[Bjorn Against]

17. Well we sure won't count on your honesty considering you completely made that quote up

[Vattel]

19. Try reading. It's fun.

Secondly, after discussion with the DNC it became clear that some of our staffers irresponsibly accessed some of the data from another campaign. That behavior is unacceptable to the Sanders campaign and we fired the staffer immediately and made certain that any information obtained was not utilized. We are now speaking to other staffers who might have been involved and further disciplinary action . Clearly, while that information was made available to our campaign because of the incompetence of the vendor, it should not have been looked at. Period.

[Sheepshank]

25. Staffers enters into a site they knew was supposed to be private

For 40 mins they read and save files.....and we are supposed to believe anything else they say on the matter, including contrition? Well I suppose now that they got caught......

[Vattel]

36. The one that I was quoting didn't do anything wrong that you or I know of.

You are spinning like crazy because you are dishonest.

[Sheepshank]

37. No, I am not dishonest. I'm disseminating an uncomfortable truth

...at least uncomfortable to Bernie supporters

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

5. Hopefully, DWS will shut down the DNC's access to data and demand an investigation of herself.

This latest display of American politics is getting more hilarious by the moment.

[Chitown Kev]

7. As massive an operation as it would be

I just don't understand why campaigns don't set up their own databases.

OR

I mean, they could simply alert all the necessary parties that the system will be down for X length of time "for maintenance" while they open the firewall to load data as needed...or they could do it at an ungodly hour like, 3:42am or something.

[berni_mccoy]

10. When two candidates are from the same party

It benefits the party to have each campaign share data with the party

[Chitown Kev]

11. Sure...

But some of that data should be kept seperate during a presidential campaign or a Senate primary, shouldn't it?

You can't understand the necessity for that?...now all that data should be shared with the DNC and appropriate firewalls should be maintained...folks do like to get nosy for non-nefarious reasons

[Sheepshank]

30. They all start out with voter data the DNC provides

And then build their personalized databases behind theie campaign firewall. It's one of the voter database info the DNC provides when a candidate Runs on the Dem ticket.

[Matariki]

8. "full and independent audit of the DNC’s handling of this data"

That should turn up some interesting things.

[PufPuf23]

12. What we don't know is if the HRC campaign also had direct or indirect access to Sanders data.

One wonders if the DNC and NGP VAN are investigating if other parties including the HRC campaign or partisans of the HRC campaign one step removed for plausible deniability also accessed proprietary data.

Good statement.

[arcane1]

27. This is why they can't be trusted to investigate/audit this themselves n/t

[Sheepshank]

31. DNC is hiring independent auditor according to interview on msnbc nt

[arcane1]

32. Hopefully that's true! n/t

[Segami]

13. Is it possible,..

..that the Clinton campaign staff ALSO viewed the Sanders data on the periods when failure in the firewall occurred?

[MineralMan]

14. I've seen no claims to that effect. Have you?

If so, it will be discovered during the audit. So far, only the Sanders data director has been fired, though. So far, Weaver has only admitted that Sanders staffers had accessed data. That's what we know. I don't speculate about what isn't in evidence.

[Segami]

18. Yes, fine..but is it possible, thats what I'm asking?

[arcane1]

28. I would be astonished if they did NOT n/t

[Sheepshank]

33. Throwing this out there hoping so badly it could be true?

Lots of Berie supporters hoping for this to be true to help vindicate rotten decision making skills.

So, is there any proof or are Bernie supporters simply going to perpetrate and spread lies...again.

Seriously, spreading lies just makes it worse.

[Ichingcarpenter]

16. great one

the internet buzz ..........is on Bernie's side and not Debbie's

[boston bean]

21. He is lying. The data guy said the prior

Incidence was a different database. Not a he VAN database.

[arcane1]

29. The same data guy that said the data couldn't be downloaded?

[mhatrw]

22. Full and independent audit of the DNC and the vendor, too!

[Segami]

23. Absolutely!!

There's no telling what will be uncovered. Who can say today, with a 100% certainty, that other campaign staff didn't access the Sander's data?

[mhatrw]

24. The head of vendor company is a Clinton operative. Clinton's campaign didn't need a security breach.

They have the bankdoor keys to the entire database!

[Sheepshank]

35. How many times are you going to spead that particular lie today....

...and the next day and the next?

Seriously, trying to make it ok that Bernie campaign has absolutley no integrity, by assuming and hoping someone else is doing the same thing?

Your best hope is that Bernie didn't know anything about this, in which case this incident would call into question his leadership skills, and gullibility...at the very least.

[LongTomH]

34. I'll say it again: This will end up hurting Hillary more than Bernie!

I've seen numerous posts for people who donated - again - to Bernie's campaign after this flap began, which is the best response we can make!