After announcing its controversial pick of far-left anti-gun activist David Hogg to hold a leadership role in the Democratic National Convention, the party received massive public backlash.
And although the DNC has tried to put up a united front, new evidence reveals there’s been plenty of discord behind the scenes.
According to The Hill, leaked audio from one private meeting offers a sneak peek into the party’s infighting over Hogg:
Leaked audio revealed DNC Chair Ken Martin venting his frustration with Hogg, who has come under fire from some within the party for his efforts to oust certain incumbents while serving as a DNC vice chair.
The leak occurred the day before DNC officials were set to vote virtually on whether to redo the vice chair elections, a move technically unrelated to the controversy surrounding Hogg. And it has underscored the frustrations many in the party feel toward the 25-year-old gun control activist.
“David Hogg is one of the biggest distractions we’ve had and seen in our party,” said Democratic strategist Antjuan Seawright, who advised former DNC Chair Jaime Harrison and hopes Hogg loses his seat. “I don’t trust him and I don’t think a lot of other people who are associated with the party should trust him.”
Hogg is rattling members of the party as he’s showed no signs of reversing course on getting involved in Democratic primaries as a sitting DNC officer, despite Martin and members of the party making clear their opposition to it.
That conflict came to a head last month when Martin expressed frustration with Hogg during a Zoom call with DNC officers, audio of which was leaked and subsequently reported by Politico over the weekend.
“I’m just quite frustrated to be in this position, because what you’ve done, whether you like it or not or know it or not, David, is I’m trying to — no one knows who the hell I am, right?” Martin said on the call, apparently addressing Hogg, according to audio published by the news outlet.
News of the internal dispute quickly became a topic of social media discussion:
2/ What we are witnessing is nothing short of an implosion at the biggest and most important organization within the Democratic party. And we are not even 6 months into the tenures of Martin and Hogg.
— Chris Cillizza (@ChrisCillizza) June 10, 2025
So electing a manchild didn’t work out so well?
— Valkyrie
(@valkyriesrwomen) June 10, 2025
*cries in soy*
— Doodad100 (@doodad100) June 9, 2025
The Western Journal also reported on the leaked audio:
The audio, first obtained by Politico and published Sunday, features “Ken Martin express[ing] frustration and self-doubt in a meeting with other party leaders,” the subheadline read.
This is one of the few times Politico could be accused of underselling party disarray, as Martin seems to choke up before collecting himself and telling Hogg he doesn’t want to do the job he was elected to.
“I’m trying to get my sea legs underneath me and actually develop any amount of credibility so I can go out there and raise the money and do the job I need to, to put ourselves in a position to win,” he continued. “And again, I don’t think you intended this, but you essentially destroyed any chance I have to show the leadership that I need to, so it’s really frustrating.”
Martin also suggested he had considered stepping down as chair several months into his tenure.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he later said in a statement following the publication of the audio. “I took this job to fight Republicans, not Democrats. As I said when I was elected, our fight is not within the Democratic Party, our fight is and has to be solely focused on Donald Trump and the disastrous Republican agenda. That’s the work that I will continue to do every day.”
A number of DNC officers have also expressed their support for Martin following the Politico report, with some criticizing Hogg over the controversy.
Here’s some additional coverage from Fox News:
This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport.
View the original article here.
Source link