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Embattled Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz blasted by loud, angry Florida crowd (w/video)

 
Former Florida Sen. Bob Graham and his wife, Adele, at the Florida delegation breakfast Monday morning as protesters shout down U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz. (Louis Jacobson  |  Times)
Former Florida Sen. Bob Graham and his wife, Adele, at the Florida delegation breakfast Monday morning as protesters shout down U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz. (Louis Jacobson | Times)
Published July 25, 2016

PHILADELPHIA — Angry protesters drowned out U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz on Monday morning as the soon-to-be-former Democratic National Committee chairwoman called for unity, a raucous scene that underscored hard feelings among supporters of Bernie Sanders.

The fallout continued later in the day for Wasserman Schultz, who scrapped plans to gavel in the convention, a move that would have likely repeated the mayhem at the hotel.

"Shame. Shame. Shame!" the Florida delegation breakfast crowd yelled, holding signs that read "e-mails," a reference to the WikiLeaks controversy that has engulfed Wasserman Schultz and party leaders and forced her to resign following this week's convention.

Internal party emails fanned suspicions that Wasserman Schultz and others were seeking to undercut Sanders in the long, divisive primary against Hillary Clinton. Wasserman Schultz was making her first public appearance since resigning Sunday.

"Debbie. Debbie. Debbie," her fans yelled.

HOW THE SCENE UNFOLDED: Follow along as the turbulent Florida delegation breakfast with Debbie Wasserman Schultz descended into chaos

"Email. Emails. Emails," the detractors shouted as Florida Democratic Party chairwoman Allison Tant repeatedly banged a gavel.

"Shame on you, Debbie!" a woman shouted.

"So I can see there's a little bit of interest in my being here," Wasserman Schultz said, visibly shaken as police moved in to push back the crowd.

But as she tried to continue, boos filled the ballroom at a downtown Marriott hotel. Eventually Wasserman Schultz was forced to leave the stage, surrounded by security and a crush of reporters.

The discord rocked what organizers hoped would be an event that stood in contrast to the GOP convention last week, which saw its share of drama, including a speech from Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas in which he refused to endorse Donald Trump as the nominee.

"We are the state that will deliver the White House," Wasserman Schultz said, shouting above the boos. She said that she spoke Sunday to Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama, thanking him "for the honor of serving as chair of the Democratic National Committee, being able to watch his back and bring him across the finish line in 2012."

"We have so much to do. And we to make sure that we move forward together in a unified way. We know that the voices in this room, that are standing up and being disruptive, that's not the Florida that we know. The Florida that we know is united."

But angry demonstrators were not moved.

"She rigged the election from the outset and I don't think she should be here," said Sanjay Patel, 39, of Satellite Beach, a Sanders supporter. "He's said for months it feels like it's been rigged against him; this is just proof that it had been. She's been an obstacle the entire way."

The leaked emails — Russian hackers are suspected and the FBI is investigating — surfaced on Friday.

In one from May, Wasserman Schultz demanded MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski apologize after the Morning Joe host said she should resign as head of the Democratic National Committee.

"This is the LAST straw," Wasserman Schultz wrote to an aide, telling him to call the network's president, Phil Griffin. "This is outrageous. She needs to apologize."

In another email, Wasserman Schultz describes as "silly" a story about Sanders as president. "He isn't going to be president," she wrote.

Still other emails suggested party aides were plotting how to paint Sanders as an atheist.

Wasserman Schultz issued a statement Sunday that said she would step down after the convention, which concludes with Clinton's speech Thursday night. For many that was not enough.

"She has to land on the sword," Nick Insua, 17, who was at the hotel. "She has to take responsibility for the actions that happened. But I'm not disappointed. I'm going to support her run for Congress."

Former Sen. Bob Graham vouched for Wasserman Schultz. "I think she has served this party well," he said from the podium.

By then most of the detractors had left the room.

"They should have allowed Debbie to speak. It was just rude and doesn't reflect the values that Democrats should be showing," said state Sen. Eleanor Sobel of Broward County.