The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is battling a class action lawsuit essentially accusing the party of election fraud, alleging party officials worked during the 2016 presidential race to disenfranchise supporters of former Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Fox News reported Monday.
Jared Beck, a Harvard law expert, filed the lawsuit in Florida following a primary that saw Democrats in disarray due to leaked documents pointing to the efforts of DNC officials to undermine Sanders in the Florida race.
The lawsuit is on behalf of residents of 45 states against the DNC and its former chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
The DNC has sought to have the lawsuit dismissed and the most recent hearing for the case was April 25 in Florida. Beck is seeking the party repay Sanders supporters for their contributions to his campaign and are alleging misappropriation of funds.
"This lawsuit has nothing to do with politics or political disagreements within the DNC. This case should concern everyone because it goes to the heart of the country's democratic institutions," Beck told Fox News.
During the April hearing, DNC lawyer Bruce Spiva claimed the party had a right to nominate any candidate of their choosing.
"We could have voluntarily decided that, 'Look, we're gonna go into back rooms like they used to and smoke cigars and pick the candidate that way.' That's not the way it was done. But they could have. And that would have also been their right," Spiva argued.
Michael Toner, former legal counsel for the Republican National Committee, doesn't see much chance for Beck's case.
"Courts don't typically get in the middle of intraparty disputes, and while I am sure the DNC does not appreciate having to fight this lawsuit, judges are very reluctant to exercise their jurisdiction over politics," Toner said.
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