--- title: Bernie Sanders Calls for Removal of Two Convention Co-Chairs description: Bernie Sanders's campaign has demanded the removal of two leaders from their positions on Democratic National Convention committees canonical: https://time.com/4351422/bernie-sanders-democratic-convention-co-chairs/ author: Katie Reilly article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-05-28T19:27:14.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:42:02.862Z article:section: Politics og:title: Bernie Sanders Calls for Removal of 2 Democratic Convention Leaders og:description: The campaign accused them of harshly criticizing Sanders and supporting Clinton og:url: https://time.com/4351422/bernie-sanders-democratic-convention-co-chairs/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt923a6c518dec069c/6988956e3c1639e14645d714/bernie-sanders3.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Bernie Sanders og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Bernie Sanders Calls for Removal of 2 Democratic Convention Leaders twitter:description: The campaign accused them of harshly criticizing Sanders and supporting Clinton twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt923a6c518dec069c/6988956e3c1639e14645d714/bernie-sanders3.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Bernie Sanders Calls for Removal of 2 Democratic Convention Leaders > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Everything to Know About Superdelegates [Watch (HLS stream): Everything to Know About Superdelegates](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/jfVxzim4.m3u8) (1:22)  _Published 2016-05-19. The brief backstory of the Democratic party's superdelegates system._  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly May 28, 2016 7:27 PM UTC  Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders salutes at a campaign rally at the Los Angeles Maritime Museum in San Pedro district of Los Angeles on May 27, 2016. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders salutes at a campaign rally at the Los Angeles Maritime Museum in San Pedro district of Los Angeles on May 27, 2016. Damian Dovarganes—AP  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly May 28, 2016 7:27 PM UTC The presidential campaign of [Bernie Sanders](http://time.com/4348664/bernie-sanders-time-interview-democratic-party-hillary-clinton/) has demanded the removal of two leaders from their positions on Democratic National Convention committees, calling them “aggressive attack surrogates” for likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. In a [formal letter sent Friday](https://berniesanders.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Bernie-2016-Letter-to-DNC.pdf), Brad Deutsch, the campaign’s legal counsel, asked that Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy and former Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank be disqualified from their posts as co-chairman of the Platform Committee and co-chairman of the convention’s Rules Committee, respectively. “Their criticisms of Senator Sanders have gone beyond dispassionate ideological disagreement and have exposed a deeper professional, political and personal hostility toward the Senator and his Campaign,” Deutsch wrote. “The Chairs therefore cannot be relied upon to perform their Convention duties fairly and capably while laboring under such deeply held bias.” **Read more:** [Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton in California Dead Heat](http://time.com/4349261/bernie-sanders-hillary-clinton-california-primary-poll/) The letter—addressed to the co-chairs of the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee—argued that their support of Clinton would cause Malloy and Frank to “exclude meaningful input from supporters of Senator Sanders’ candidacy.” The letter detailed instances when both had criticized Sanders. “It is inconceivable to me that anything could come before that committee that will affect who the nominee is,” Frank said in response to the accusations, [Politico reported](http://www.politico.com/blogs/2016-dem-primary-live-updates-and-results/2016/05/bernie-sanders-hillary-clinton-convention-allies-223685). “I think what you have here is this: Sanders is losing to Hillary Clinton because she is getting many more votes and many more pledged delegates. Some of \[the Sanders supporters\] are trying to lay the claim that he’s being unfairly deprived of this.” In a [response letter on Saturday](http://static.politico.com/25/0d/24b6061e4d899908ef91e10a86b0/rbc-co-chairs-response-to-bernie-2016-5.27.16%20Challenge%20letter.pdf), the Rules and Bylaws Committee co-chairs dismissed the challenge from Sanders and said Malloy and Frank had not violated any DNC rules. ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] Superdelegates are special Democratic Party delegates that can support anyone they want. Unlike pledge delegates, which are allocated through primaries and caucuses and have to support a specific candidate at the Democratic convention, these unpledged delegates can switch their choice at Anytime. The super delegates are made up of every democratic governor, US senator or representative, a selection of party leaders like former presidents, and Democratic National Committee members determined by the national and state parties. The Republicans don't have anything quite like this. The whole system was developed in the 1980's after the party faced the crushing defeat of George McGovern in 1972. I accept your nomination with a full and grateful hart. And Jimmy Carter in 1980. The point is to give party leaders and elected officials a bigger role in choosing the parties nominee. While giving voters a smaller role in order to stop an insurgent candidate. That means that if a candidate hasn't won more than 50 % of the overall delegates, it's up to the superdelegates to decide who will go on to be the Democratic nominee for president. 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