Furious Democrats call for Tom Perez's resignation after Iowa fiasco


Apparent attempts by Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez to absolve himself of responsibility over the Iowa caucus fiasco have sparked many in the party to begin calling for his resignation. "It's a lack of leadership," Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) told The Hill in an interview Friday. "If you have the Iowa situation you don't throw them under the bus, you stand up and you support and you try to fix it. He doesn't lead on anything."
Party insiders have been particularly rankled by Perez's treatment of Iowa Democratic Party Chair Troy Price, who has publicly taken heat over the scandal that resulted from a failed app on election night and a week's worth of confusion over the winner. Perez took three days after the Iowa debacle to speak publicly about the caucuses, Politico reports, after having failed to appear alongside Price during an initial public address. "Loads of state party chairs are pissed that [Perez] would treat one of their peers like this," one state party official told Politico.
Perez has repeatedly attempted to distance himself from the scandal. On Thursday, he demanded a recanvass — essentially, a recalculation — of the election results, while Iowa Democrats were still counting votes. On Friday, asked by CNN's John Berman "how much of this is on you?," Perez dodged. "Well, again, the Iowa Democratic Party runs the caucus," he said. "Okay? And they — what happened was unacceptable."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The American Prospect's David Dayen blasted Perez, writing that the chair was "seeking to be an independent actor trying to 'clean up' the Iowa mess, when he was fully implicated in making the mess in the first place." Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), speaking with Politico, called Perez's leadership "virtually nonexistent ... It's just a matter of time before he's going to go."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
Taking aim at Venezuela’s autocrat
Feature The Trump administration is ramping up military pressure on Nicolás Maduro. Is he a threat to the U.S.?
-
Comey indictment: Is the justice system broken?
Feature U.S. attorney Lindsey Halligan has indicted former FBI Director James Comey on charges of lying and obstructing Congress
-
Government shuts down amid partisan deadlock
Feature As Democrats and Republicans clash over health care and spending, the shutdown leaves 750,000 federal workers in limbo
-
Judge bars Trump’s National Guard moves in Oregon
Speed Read In an emergency hearing, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops into Portland
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoff
Speed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies
-
YouTube to pay Trump $22M over Jan. 6 expulsion
Speed Read The president accused the company of censorship following the suspension of accounts post-Capitol riot