Democratic National Committee Chief to Step Down After Publication

US Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz announced her resignation after Wikileaks publications put into question her impartiality in the party’s presidential race, local media reported.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – On Friday, the Wikileaks website published almost 20,000 pages of hacked Democratic National Committee emails concerning the Clinton and Bernie Sanders campaigns. The emails appear to demonstrate a concerted effort by top committee members, including Wasserman Schultz, to undermine Sanders’ campaign in favor of Clinton.

One of the issued emails revealed, for example, that Wasserman Schultz criticized Sanders for not being a member of the party saying that he would never be a president, according to NBC News.

"Going forward, the best way for me to accomplish those goals is to step down as Party Chair at the end of this convention," Wasserman Schultz said in a statement on Sunday, as quoted by NBC News.

She added that she would open and close the forthcoming Democratic National Convention where delegates are expected to nominate former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as their contender in the November presidential election.

Following the release, Sanders called on Wasserman Schultz to resign from her position. Sanders accused her of fostering disunity, and called her a thorn stuck in the side of the Democratic Party.

Marcia Fudge, member of the US House of Representatives for Ohio's 11th congressional district, was announced on Sunday as a new convention chair.