'I Certainly Was A Victim': Former DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz On Roger Stone Investigation
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- U.S. Rep Debbie Wasserman Schultz is the former chair of the Democratic National Committee which was a target of WikiLeaks during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Speaking at an event Friday in Miami, CBS4 News asked Wasserman Schultz what she thought about Friday's indictment of Roger Stone in a criminal case that revealed senior members of the Trump campaign sought to benefit from the release of hacked emails damaging to Hillary Clinton.
"The Mueller indictment really clearly shows that the funnel is narrowing and the cinch is tightening around the necks and getting closer and closer to the highest levels of the Trump campaign," said Wasserman Schultz.
"The Mueller indictment shows that Roger Stone, at the direction of senior Trump campaign officials, willingly weaponized information stolen by WikiLeaks on behalf of Russia to help Donald Trump get elected President," she said.
On July 22, 2016, on the eve of the Democratic National Convention, WikiLeaks published internal Democratic Party emails, which upended the convention and forced Debbie Wasserman Schultz's resignation as party chairwoman.
WATCH ENTIRE DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ REACTION HERE:
"This is the clearest evidence yet and most specific arrow pointing directly at the highest levels of the Trump campaign that they colluded with Russia to elect Donald Trump," said Wasserman Schultz. "This is why we needed the Mueller investigation and needed to continue to work its work through the process because we must get to the bottom of how Russia got fully involved in influencing the outcome of the election," she added.
According to the indictment, after the July release of nearly 20,000 hacked DNC emails, a "senior Trump Campaign official was directed" to contact Stone and inquire about what else WikiLeaks had that could damage Clinton's campaign.
The documents included notes in which then DNC chair Wasserman Schultz insults staffers from the Bernie Sanders campaign and messages that suggest the organization was favoring Hillary Clinton rather than remaining neutral.
Wasserman Schultz resigned in the aftermath of the leak.
"I certainly was a victim of that, as well as my staff, and the people of the United States of America," said Wasserman Schultz.