Harry Reid and Debbie Wasserman Schultz chided Bernie Sanders on Tuesday for a failure in leadership and accountability over the uprising at the Nevada Democratic Convention over the weekend.
Reid said he talked to Sanders about the incident, asking that he release a statement disavowing what transpired; Wasserman Schultz said she thought that conversation would suffice. However, Sanders released a defiant manifesto Tuesday, refusing to apologize, and in turn sent the Democratic leaders fuming.
"Unfortunately, the senator's response was anything but acceptable," Wasserman Schultz and chairman of the DNC told
CNN. "It certainly did not condemn his supporters for acting violently or engaging in intimidation tactics and instead added more fuel to the fire."
"Bernie is better than that," Reid added. "I thought he was going to do something different."
Security was forced to shut down the convention Saturday after Sanders supporters reportedly flung chairs, scuffled with Hillary Clinton supporters, and made death threats to the state party chairwoman. State party leaders accused Sanders supporters of inciting the violence.
Sanders' statement included condemnation of "any and all forms of violence, including the personal harassment of individuals," but it also faulted the leadership in Nevada for having "used its power to prevent a fair and transparent process from taking place,"
the Washington Post reported.
Though Sanders has not garnered support, he has largely avoided criticism from Democrats, even as his path to the nomination continues to narrow, but that could change after the kerfuffle in Nevada.
Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill., the minority whip, said the events in Nevada were "unacceptable."
“That's a Trump trick from his early rallies, and the Democrats ought to stay away from it," Durbin told the Post. "I would encourage Sen. Sanders to tell his supporters: Be fervent in your support of my candidacy, but don't cross that line."
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