Ex-DNC Head Says She Nearly Yanked Clinton Prior to Election

Two days after Donna Brazile caused a stir by claiming, in an excerpt from her new book, that the Clinton campaign essentially rigged the Democratic primary, the former head of the Democratic National Committee is at it again. The Washington Post reports Brazile says she seriously considered replacing Hillary Clinton and Sen. Tim Kaine with Joe Biden and Sen. Cory Booker in the lead up to the 2016 presidential election to draw in more working-class voters and because the Clinton campaign was "anemic" and had "the odor of failure." In her book, Brazile says she reminded Clinton aides in the wake of the candidate's pneumonia in September that she had the power to replace a nominee who became disabled. She says she ultimately decided not to do it because she "thought of Hillary, and all the women in the country who were so proud and excited about her."

Meanwhile, NBC News reports a memo from Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook to DNC CEO Amy Dacey puts the deal Brazile claims rigged the primary in better context. The Clinton campaign did agree to raise money for the DNC in exchange for joint authority over "staffing, budgeting, expenditures," and more. But it also stated: "All activities performed under this agreement will be focused exclusively on preparations for the General Election and not the Democratic Primary." It continued: "Further we understand you may enter into similar agreements with other candidates." Howard Dean tweets that if the memo is accurate, then the deal entered into by the DNC and Clinton campaign has been "standard operating procedure for 15 years." (More Donna Brazile stories.)