BREAKING: Bernie fires back after chaotic Nevada convention

The Sanders campaign today hit back at critics after Democratic party leaders in Nevada claimed the Sanders camp has a “penchant for violence.”

The Nevada party has been mired in controversy after the events of Saturday’s convention in which 54 Clinton delegates were deemed ineligible.

According to the Washington Post, the ultimate total reported by KOLO-TV was 1,695 Clinton delegates to 1,662 for Sanders. That gave the former First Lady a slight lead. After the vote, there were several physical altercations as well as a medical emergency unrelated to the fight.

But the process didn’t end there.  64 Bernie delegates — enough to give him the majority — were deemed ineligible, because they weren’t registered as Democrats by the May 1 deadline, according to the state party.

The convention leadership refused to allow 58 of the 64 to be heard and adjourned the proceedings for the day. Sanders supporters refused to leave the convention floor and had to be removed by law enforcement and casino security.

In a strongly worded statement following the contentious event, Bernie said:  “Our campaign has held giant rallies all across this country, including in high-crime areas, and there have been zero reports of violence.

“Our campaign of course believes in non-violent change and it goes without saying that I condemn any and all forms of violence, including the personal harassment of individuals.”

The disputes at the convention were centred around Nevada’s method of assigning delegates, one of the most complicated in the nation. The motion that elicited the most controversy was a proposed change to the rules to allow voice votes to be counted, something that some have argued favors Bernie.

The rule change motion failed to pass and the convention quickly became restless. Now, the Sanders campaign is accusing the Democratic leadership  of using its “power to prevent a fair and transparent process”.

They’re alleging that:

• The chair of the convention announced that the convention rules passed on voice vote, when the vote was a clear no-vote. At the very least, the Chair should have allowed for a headcount.
• The chair allowed its Credentials Committee to en mass rule that 64 delegates were ineligible without offering an opportunity for 58 of them to be heard. That decision enabled the Clinton campaign to end up with a 30-vote majority.
• The chair refused to acknowledge any motions made from the floor or allow votes on them.
• The chair refused to accept any petitions for amendments to the rules that were properly submitted.

Before adding: “The Democratic Party has a choice. It can open its doors and welcome into the party people who are prepared to fight for real economic and social change – people who are willing to take on Wall Street, corporate greed and a fossil fuel industry which is destroying this planet.

“Or the party can choose to maintain its status quo structure, remain dependent on big-money campaign contributions and be a party with limited participation and limited energy.