Democrats Blame Trump Supporters, Russia for Iowa Caucus Disaster
Party blames supporters of President for jamming hotline
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Iowa Democrats are blaming Trump supporters for the caucus disaster which ensued following an app glitch in naming the winner of the opening 2020 primary contest in Iowa.
After the app, which was run by three former Hillary Clinton campaign staffers, began encountering glitches in reporting the results to party headquarters, caucus leaders resorted to phoning-in their alignment and delegate data.
But in the middle of all the chaos, the hotline number was posted online, which led to some officials being placed on hold for hours.
Top Democrat Ken Sagar, told party leaders during a teleconference that he spoke to people who displayed support for President Donald Trump, according to Bloomberg News.
Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh said he didn't "know anything about that."
"Maybe Democrats should consider using an app of some kind next time,” Murtaugh quipped.
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NBC News floated the conspiracy theory that trolls may have mobilized using 4chan message boards.
Meanwhile, The Federalist reported that Democrats are also blaming the Russians ford the vote-reporting app crashing during Monday’s Iowa Democratic caucuses.
Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas suggested Wednesday that said she hoped Iowa Democrats would press the FBI to study Russia’s involvement in the Iowa caucuses, where full results were yet to be released four days later.
“I hope that the Iowa Democrats will ask for an FBI investigation on the app,” Jackson said.
“I believe that Russia has been engaged in and interfering with a number of our elections dealing with the 2016 election.”
Supporters of Bernie Sanders on Monday stormed out of a Democratic caucus, calling it a"joke" and a "waste of time" after he ended up in a five-way tie with other candidates.
The 2020 candidates contending for the right to challenge Trump in the fall have already moved onto New Hampshire ahead of that state's primary on Feb. 11.
The company behind the phone app that caused delays in reporting the outcomes of the Iowa Democratic caucus is run by three former #HillaryClinton campaign staffers
— Neon Nettle (@NeonNettle) February 4, 2020
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But the eventual winner will be refused the traditional "bump" in positive press coverage, polling, and fundraising usually experienced after finishing first in Iowa.
The app, which was created by Shadow Inc., was intended to make it more straightforward for the state’s 1,700-odd precincts to report their individual caucuses results.
Shadow Inc., is owned by a Democrat-linked technology and campaign consulting nonprofit group.
But the company has limited information about the firm and its employees.
According to a review of the social media accounts, three of the company's executives worked on the 2016 Hillary Clinton campaign.
