Hillary Clinton 'rigged' presidential nomination process, prominent Democratic senator confirms

Elizabeth Warren says Democrats need to do some soul-searching

Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senator Bernie Sanders promote universal healthcare in Washington on September 13, 2017 (Reuters)

Senator Elizabeth Warren has said she agrees with a report that Hillary Clinton controlled key aspects of the Democratic Party's infrastructure to her own advantage during the presidential primaries in the run-up to last year's election.

Former Democratic National Committee (DNC) chair Donna Brazile wrote in a report for the Politico that Ms Clinton's campaign had assumed control of crucial fundraising mechanisms before going on to defeat Bernie Sanders.

The DNC seeks to elect Democrats nationwide, not just to the White House.

The report seemed to bolster critiques from Sanders supporters who have long argued the Democratic establishment undermined their insurgent candidate in favour of Ms Clinton, who had built deep ties within the party over her years in politics.

In an interview with Ms Warren, who like Mr Sanders represents the party’s farther-left progressive wing, CNN’s Jake Tapper asked point-blank if the Massachusetts Democrat agreed “with the notion that it was rigged”.

“Yes”, Ms Warren replied.

Calling the arrangement detailed in Ms Brazile’s report “a real problem”, Ms Warren said Democrats needed to “hold this party accountable” or risk alienating its constituents. She said that would be the paramount challenge for recently elevated DNC chair Tom Perez.

“You have got to put together a Democratic Party in which everyone can have confidence that the party is working for Democrats rather than Democrats are working for the party”, Ms Warren said, describing her message for Mr Perez.

“Either he’s going to succeed by bringing Bernie Sanders and Bernie Sanders representatives into this process and they’re gonna say ‘it’s fair, it works, we all believe it’, or he’s going to fail”, Ms Warren said. “And I very much hope he succeeds. I hope for Democrats everywhere, I hope for Bernie and for all of Bernie’s supporters that he’s going to succeed”.