• Politics

Former Democratic Chairs Deny Consulting on Debate Schedule

6 minute read

Three of the four former party chairs that Democratic boss Debbie Wasserman Schultz said she “consulted” before deciding on the primary debate schedule tell TIME that their conversations with her did not amount to debate consultations.

“She didn’t consult with me. I do not support the exclusivity clause,” said former DNC chair and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean in mid-October.

“I did not,” former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell said in late October when asked if he consulted with her about the debates. “I did speak with her once the issue resolved.”

“No, she didn’t talk to me at all,” Don Fowler said on Thursday. The fourth former party chair that Wasserman Shultz said she consulted with is Virginia Gov. Terry McAulliffe, a longtime loyalist of Hillary Clinton, who did not return calls from TIME requesting comments.

Wasserman Schultz said at least three times in recent months that she consulted with former DNC chairs in order to determine the debate schedule. “I consulted a variety of people, including former DNC chairs, and they advised me and I believed myself that we needed to make sure there was a tighter control over the sanctioned debate process,” Wasserman Schultz said at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast on Sept. 10. She also said, “I got some guidance from previous chairs that we make sure that we not let the debate process get out of control.”

Six days later, speaking on MSNBC, Wasserman Schultz said, “I consulted with former DNC chairs as well as party officials across the state parties and came up with a six-debate schedule that we really think is going to be the right balance” for the primary.

After TIME contacted the Democratic National Committee Friday to notify them of the denials of Dean, Rendell and Fowler, party officials asked each of the three men to contact TIME to add to the previous statements. They all clarified that they did participate in conversations with Wasserman Schultz in the past few years in which debates were discussed, but they said the discussions fell short of consultations about her decision.

“I had lunch with her about two years ago and we talked in general about how these things went,” Dean said on Friday evening, “but I didn’t have any conclusion about the number of debates or exclusivity.”

Rendell said on Friday he has talked with Wasserman Schultz over the years about a number of DNC issues and had warned that the Republican debate schedule in 2011 and 2012 was a tangled mess of the kind Democrats should avoid. “Did we ever talk about this particular decision? No,” said Rendell. “She didn’t ask for input on the explicit decision.”

Fowler said he had at some point loosely discussed the debates with Wasserman Schultz. “I did say to her the number of debates was not magical, it was dependent on the circumstances,” he said on Friday night. “I think I said it depends on how many candidates we had.” Fowler said he didn’t recall when he spoke with her.

Wasserman Schultz was not required to get approval from former chairs, and there is little formal process for setting the schedule. But as she has faced backlash from her party over the decision to prohibit candidates from participating in other debates, she has repeatedly pointed to the input she had from top party leaders.

Wasserman Schultz has come under fire before for making misleading statements about the debates. Last month, DNC Vice Chair R.T. Rybak accused her of lying about the debate schedule, saying in an interview with the New York Times that she had made “flat-out not true” statements about consulting with top Democratic Party officers.

“This is not a back-and-forth between a chair and a vice chair,” Rybak told the Times in mid-October. “This is a chair of the Democratic Party wrongly stating that she consulted with all of the party officers. I was not consulted. I know that (DNC vice chair) Tulsi Gabbard was not consulted. And this is becoming about much more than debates.”

Rep. Gabbard said that Wasserman Schultz disinvited her from attending the first debate after she publicly voiced her criticism of the Democratic schedule. Gabbard said in an interview with TIME that Wasserman Schultz showed “poor judgment” over the debate schedule.

Wasserman Schultz has said she gave all the campaigns fair input in the debate negotiations, but former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley’s campaign has said the negotiations with Wasserman Schultz were done in bad faith.

The Democratic debate schedule has become a hotly disputed topic. Wasserman Scthultz scheduled six debates and prohibited candidates from participating in any additional debates, a rule that O’Malley and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders have said is unfair. Some in the party have accused Wasserman Schultz of favoring Clinton by protecting her from exposure in debates.

Read more: O’Malley Lobbies Sanders for More Debates

Wasserman Schultz, for her part, has said that it was necessary to limit the schedule to six debates to prevent candidates from repeated distractions on the campaign trail. The more than 20 debates in the 2008 Democratic primary between Clinton, then-Sen. Barack Obama and others were far too many, she has argued.

Read more: Bernie Sanders Calls For More Democratic Debates

“Maintaining an orderly and effective nominating process is one of the most important responsibilities a DNC Chair has,” said Virginia Gov. McAuliffe in a statement earlier this year. “When I was Chair in the 2004 cycle I was proud of the way we used sanctions and DNC-sponsored debates to balance the calendar and get our message out across the country.”

Amid pushback, Wasserman Schultz has in recent weeks worked with the vice chairs to adding forums for the Democratic presidential candidates. The Democratic candidates Clinton, Sanders and O’Malley participated in a forum Friday evening in South Carolina, and all spoke in Washington DC at the Women’s Leadership Forum.

DNC communications director Luis Miranda said the party would continue to consider adding events to the schedule for the candidates.

“We value the wide range of perspectives in the Democratic Party. That’s why DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz directed staff to conduct a full review of our debate calendar and process over the course of the last few weeks, which included feedback from our campaigns,” said Miranda. “The Chair has also directed her team to pull together the details in coordination with state parties in support of additional forums that are pending so that we can round out the schedule.”

LIFE's Best Convention Photos: The Democrats

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Scene at the 1960 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles.John Phillips—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
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Of this picture, LIFE noted in its July 29, 1940, issue: "Trying, amid the general convention apathy and sullenness, to find some Democrats who appeared to be having fun [as it was clear FDR would be nominated for an unprecedented third term, the convention lacked drama], a LIFE photographer went to the famous 606 Club ... featuring an almost continuous strip tease."John Phillips—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Senator Harry S. Truman and his family at the 1944 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.Ed Clark—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Roosevelt supporters demonstrate at the 1944 Democratic National Convention in Chicago where he was nominated for a fourth term.Alfred Eisenstaedt—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
George Vaughn of Missouri offers motion to unseat the anti-Truman delegation from Mississippi during the 1948 Democratic National Convention.Gjon Mili—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Franklin D. Roosevelt's oldest son, James, gets makeup for a television broadcast during the 1948 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Penn.George Skadding—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Alabama delegation leader Handy Ellis (center) on the floor during the 1948 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. Ellis,a "Dixiecrat," would eventually lead a walkout over the Democratic platform plank supporting civil rights.Francis Miller—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Soapy Williams sings the Star Spangled Banner during the 1952 Democratic convention in Chicago.
Soapy Williams sings the Star Spangled Banner during the 1952 Democratic convention in Chicago.Ralph Morse—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Mrs. Estes Kefauver (center, in white hat) watching the action at the 1952 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Mrs. Estes Kefauver (center, in white hat) watching the action at the 1952 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.Ralph Morse—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Michigan Senator Blair Moody (right) and Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr. confer during the 1952 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Michigan Senator Blair Moody (right) and Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr. confer during the 1952 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.Hank Walker—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Mrs. John F. Kennedy at the 1956 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Mrs. John F. Kennedy at the 1956 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.Howard Sochurek—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Left to right: Senator Estes Kefauver, Gov. Frank Clement, Sen. Albert Gore and candidate Adlai Stevenson at the 1956 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Left to right: Senator Estes Kefauver, Gov. Frank Clement, Sen. Albert Gore and candidate Adlai Stevenson at the 1956 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.Francis Miller—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Delegates strategize on the floor during the 1956 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Delegates strategize on the floor during the 1956 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.Howard Sochurek—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Scene at the 1956 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Scene at the 1956 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.Howard Sochurek—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Two-way radios were used to interview delegates on the floor at the 1956 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Two-way radios were used to interview delegates on the floor at the 1956 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.Howard Sochurek—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Georgia Congresswoman Iris Blitch, a staunch segregationist during her time in Congress, being saluted by her state's delegates before her speech at the 1956 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Georgia Congresswoman Iris Blitch, a staunch segregationist during her time in Congress, being saluted by her state's delegates before her speech at the 1956 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.Frank Scherschel—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Democratic politician Averell Harriman watches former President Harry S. Truman support him during the 1956 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Harriman lost the nomination to Adlai Stevenson that year, and in 1952.
Democratic politician Averell Harriman watches former President Harry S. Truman support him during the 1956 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Harriman lost the nomination to Adlai Stevenson that year, and in 1952.Yale Joel—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Presidential candidate John F. Kennedy confers with his brother and campaign organizer, Robert Kennedy, in a hotel suite during the 1960 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles.Hank Walker—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Scene at the 1960 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles.Ralph Crane—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn of Texas grieves over Lyndon Johnson's defeat at the 1960 Democratic National Convention after JFK won the nomination. Johnson, of course, was added to the ticket as Kennedy's VP pick.Howard Sochurek—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Eleanor Roosevelt addresses delegates at the 1960 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, where she supported Illinois' Adlai Stevenson over the party's eventual nominee, John F. Kennedy.
Eleanor Roosevelt addresses delegates at the 1960 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, where she supported Illinois' Adlai Stevenson over the party's eventual nominee, John F. Kennedy.Alfred Eisenstaedt—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Not originally published in LIFE. Senator John F. Kennedy speaks at the 1960 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles.
Not originally published in LIFE. Senator John F. Kennedy speaks at the 1960 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles.Ed Clark—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Adlai Stevenson (center) and Lyndon Johnson (right) congratulate John F. Kennedy on winning the party's presidential nomination at the 1960 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles.
Adlai Stevenson (center) and Lyndon Johnson (right) congratulate John F. Kennedy on winning the party's presidential nomination at the 1960 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles.Paul Schutzer—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Delegates from Illinois show their support for President Lyndon Johnson at the 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Delegates from Illinois show their support for President Lyndon Johnson at the 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey.John Dominis—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Robert F. Kennedy (right), his wife Ethell and Democratic stalwart Averell Harriman at a reception for Jackie Kennedy during the 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Robert F. Kennedy (right), his wife Ethell and Democratic stalwart Averell Harriman at a reception for Jackie Kennedy during the 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey.John Dominis—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
President Lyndon Johnson with his running mate Hubert Humphrey during the 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
President Lyndon Johnson with his running mate Hubert Humphrey during the 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Francis Miller—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Demonstrators protest American involvement in the Vietnam War outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, 1968.
Demonstrators protest American involvement in the Vietnam War outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, 1968.Charles Phillips—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Not originally published in LIFE. Connecticut delegates and Eugene McCarthy supporters Paul Newman (right) and playwright Arthur Miller during the contentious 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Not originally published in LIFE. Connecticut delegates and Eugene McCarthy supporters Paul Newman (right) and playwright Arthur Miller during the contentious 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.Ralph Crane—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
A protestor is grabbed by police during a demonstration outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, 1968.
A protestor is grabbed by police during a demonstration outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, 1968.Lee Balterman—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
California delegate Charles Anderson burns his credentials to protest the party's decision to seat only half of Georgia's civil rights delegation during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, 1968.
California delegate Charles Anderson burns his credentials to protest the party's decision to seat only half of Georgia's civil rights delegation during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, 1968.Michael Mauney—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Chicago mayor Richard Daley — a Democrat who served for five terms and remains one of the most controversial figures in Chicago political history — on the floor during the Democratic National Convention in 1968.
Chicago mayor Richard Daley — a Democrat who served for five terms and remains one of the most controversial figures in Chicago political history — on the floor during the Democratic National Convention in 1968. Ralph Crane—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Delegates for Alabama's George Wallace cheer behind a delegate for New York's Shirley Chisholm—the first African-American woman ever elected to Congress—during the 1972 Democratic National Convention in Miami Beach.
Delegates for Alabama's George Wallace cheer behind a delegate for New York's Shirley Chisholm—the first African-American woman ever elected to Congress—during the 1972 Democratic National Convention in Miami Beach.Bill Eppridge—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
George McGovern delegation co-chair Willie Brown, Jr.—later the powerful, long-time Speaker of the California State Assembly and, eventually, the mayor of San Francisco—embraces an unidentified woman during the 1972 Democratic National Convention in Miami Beach. McGovern would win his party's nomination, but was crushed by Richard Nixon during the presidential election, winning only Massachusetts and the District of Columbia.
George McGovern delegation co-chair Willie Brown, Jr.—later the powerful, long-time Speaker of the California State Assembly and, eventually, the mayor of San Francisco—embraces an unidentified woman during the 1972 Democratic National Convention in Miami Beach. McGovern would win his party's nomination, but was crushed by Richard Nixon during the presidential election, winning only Massachusetts and the District of Columbia.Bill Eppridge—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images

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