Thread by @kgosztola

Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez issued a list of individuals he nominated for the 2020 Democratic National Convention committees.

Let's examine some of the individuals. I'll initially focus on the nominees for the DNC Platform Committee.

Thread.

Denis McDonough was Barack Obama's chief of staff during his second term.

He also chairs Rework America Task Force, which launched Rework America Business Network with Heidi Capozzi, senior vice president of human resources at Boeing, in December 2018. markle.org/about-markle/s…

Rework America Business Network that McDonough helped launch counts as its founding members the following: Aon, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Boeing, Duke Energy, Kaiser Permanente, McKinsey & Company, Microsoft, Stanley Black & Decker, Walmart, & Zurich Insurance

Jon Hamm portrayed McDonough in 2019 film, "The Report," which told the story of Senate's CIA torture report through perspective of Senate staffer Daniel Jones.

On behalf of the CIA, McDonough advocated for more redactions from the executive summary that was released.

Danielle Gray, former Obama administration official, is the senior vice president, chief legal officer and corporate secretary for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina

Gray was a partner in the New York law firm of O’Melveny and Myers, where she advised "health care companies, financial services institutions, universities, and clients in a range of industries on litigation, internal investigations, and government enforcement actions."

Jake Sullivan is a member of the Alliance for Securing Democracy's Advisory Council.

He was a senior policy adviser for Hillary Clinton's 2016 and 2008 presidential campaigns.

Sullivan was also a national security adviser to Vice President Joe Biden.

Georgia State Senator Nikema Williams served as member of Obama Victory Fund 2012. She was one of "top ten influential African American bundlers for Obama."

Top contributors to the PAC included employees from Comcast, Goldman Sachs, Google, etc. opensecrets.org/pres12/jfc_det…

Carol Browner is senior counselor for Albright Stonebridge Group, business firm founded in 2009 by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. She worked on climate change policy in Obama admin.

Clinton's campaign appointed Browner to 2016 DNC Platform Drafting Committee.

As a Clinton delegate, during the 2016 Platform Drafting Committee meeting, voted against a ban on fracking, Medicare For All, opposing the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), keeping fossil fuels in ground, and measure to halt abuse of eminent domain by fossil fuel industry.

Mary Kay Henry is the president of SEIU. In 2015, she ensured the major union endorsed Hillary Clinton early. SEIU donated $1 million to Priorities USA, the primary super PAC that supported Clinton's 2016 campaign in spite of Clinton's reluctance to back a $15 minimum wage.

Charlie King is a lobbyist, close ally of Governor Andrew Cuomo, former executive director for the New York State Democratic Party, and a 2020 Democratic superdelegate.

Bakari Sellers was Kamala Harris surrogate and surrogate for Hillary Clinton in 2016. He has disingenuously insisted Bernie has long way to go with black voters, despite contrary polling.

See how Sellers welcomed Bernie to the DNC primary when he announced his 2020 campaign.

In 2015, Sellers became member of National Council of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the notorious pro-Israeli government lobbying group. thetandd.com/news/sellers-s…

Mentioned here too: diversity.gatech.edu/Sellers_Biogra…

Sellers drafted letter and spearheaded effort in 2016 to ensure the DNC platform did not adopt language Bernie Sanders supported, which would've acknowledged responsibility to confront humanitarian crisis facing Palestinians in Gaza. d10onlizn351s5.cloudfront.net/uploads/2016/0…

Dan Shapiro is the former ambassador of United States to the state of Israel. He backed moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, if done the "right way." And here's Shapiro in November 2019 championing virtues of US military aid to Israel. jpost.com/American-Polit…

Wendy Sherman is a senior counselor at the Albright Stonebridge Group, a business firm founded by Madeleine Albright.

She was Clinton delegate on the 2016 DNC Platform Drafting Committee, who voted against Medicare for All, opposing the TPP, and banning fracking.

While Sherman was lead negotiator for the Iran nuclear deal and has previously backed diplomacy with North Korea, during drafting of 2016 platform Sherman opposed language on Israeli occupation and suggested BDS movement "creates anti-Semitism."

Craig Smith was White House Political Director during President Clinton's administration.

He was campaign director/senior adviser to Joe Lieberman's 2004 presidential campaign.

Smith also was senior adviser for super PAC, Ready For Hillary, and later Clinton's 2016 campaign.

Meghan Stabler is a member of the Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI), a group that advocates for pro-Israel Democrats. She also served on the national board of directors for Human Rights Campaign (HRC).

FYI: The DNC Platform Drafting Committee will define the Democratic Party's policies and priorities for domestic and foreign affairs in 2020.

Next, I'll focus on some of the individuals who DNC Chair Tom Perez nominated for the 2020 Democratic National Convention Rules Committee.

Maria Cardona is a 2020 Democratic superdelegate and a CNN and CNN en Español contributor.

She also is a principal at the Dewey Square Group, a lobbying firm that has fought on behalf of corporate interests against progressive reforms.

From 2016 @theintercept story: Dewey Square Group worked on behalf of health insurance industry during health reform debate, even placing letters to editor in newspaper "under names of elderly Massachusetts residents without their knowledge or consent."
theintercept.com/2016/02/08/hrc…

Maria Cardona wrote column for Univision in March 2016, "Sanders Socialism Does Not Sit Well With Florida Voters."

She invoked Venezuela, ignoring how US policy has targeted and destabilized country since at least 1998 because socialism was incorporated into their democracy.

Maria Cardona invoked right-wing attack to discourage support for Warren or Sanders. (Dec. 29, 2019)

"If Warren and Sanders remain among top Democratic tier (they will), Trump will continue to try to paint all Democrats as radical socialists who want to turn US into Venezuela."

Barney Frank is former congressman, who currently is on board of directors of Signature Bank in New York.

In July 2018, New York Times examined how bank was a go-to lender for President Donald Trump's family, as well as Jared Kushner's family.
nytimes.com/2018/07/23/bus…

Barney Frank argued against the Green New Deal in February 2019, even as the climate change threat rapidly intensified.

"There’s an argument that you don’t destabilize a society by doing too much change at once."

In July 2015, early in primary, Barney Frank wrote a column for POLITICO, "Why Progressives Shouldn't Support Bernie." He advocated against democracy because he believed if Sanders presented a formidable challenge to Clinton it would weaken her.
politico.com/magazine/story…

Viewed as "attack surrogate" for Clinton in 2016, Bernie Sanders demanded Barney Frank be removed as head of Rules Committee. That request was rejected.

Sanders believed Frank had "deeper professional, political, & personal hostility" toward his campaign
theguardian.com/us-news/2016/m…

Small correction: O'Melveny is not a New York law firm. It's in Los Angeles.

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms endorsed Joe Biden in June 2019. Even in November, as Biden's poll numbers sagged, she maintained he'd be the best nominee.

"People have long underestimated Joe Biden, and he's been consistent."
msnbc.com/david-gura/wat…

Chris Lu was Deputy Secretary of Labor for President Obama.

In 2016, when issue of trade deals killing jobs was raised, Lu replied, "TPP is a great opportunity for US companies that sell products overseas," and jobs reliant on exports pay better.
voanews.com/usa/interview-…

Alexandra Gallardo-Rooker is vice-chair of the California Democratic Party. She endorsed Clinton. She is 2020 superdelegate (and also was one in 2016).

Gallardo-Rooker is a senior adviser for Mike Bloomberg's presidential campaign. apnews.com/f29d38b451889b…

Charlie Baker is co-founder of Dewey Square Group (scroll to see some history of firm helping corporate interests undermine progressive reforms).

Baker was chief administrative officer for Hillary For America. Also senior adviser for Kerry/Edwards, Gore/Lieberman, Clinton/Gore.

James Boland is president of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (BAC). In September 2015, the union endorsed Hillary Clinton.

He is also on board of directors of National Endowment for Democracy (NED), which Reagan setup after backlash against CIA for meddling in countries.

Daniel Halpern was appointed by DNC chair Tom Perez to be a DNC deputy national finance chair in 2017.

This @PasteMagazine article details how Halpern fought against raising minimum wage. He was chair of Georgia Restaurant Association. pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/…

@PasteMagazine Heidi Heitkamp is a former US Senator in North Dakota. She is a contributor to CNBC and ABC News. She is on board of the McCain Institute.

She wrote this column in May 2019 urging Democrats to remain opposed to expanding Medicare to cover all Americans. washingtonpost.com/opinions/heidi…

In March 2019, Heidi Heitkamp insisted Americans want "realistic" solutions. She does not believe Medicare For All or the Green New Deal should be part of Democrats' "messaging" to voters.
freebeacon.com/politics/heitk…

Here's Heidi Heitkamp in October 2019 drawing from her experience as a former tax commissioner to argue against taxing the rich. wbur.org/hereandnow/201…

Harold Ickes chaired Bill Clinton's presidential campaign in 1992. He was Bill Clinton's deputy chief of staff. He was senior adviser and strategist for Hillary Clinton, including her 2008 campaign.

Like many of nominees, he's 2020 superdelegate, and he was in 2016 too.

Elaine Kamarck is a director of the Center for Effective Public Management at the Brookings Institution. She's 2020 superdelegate and also was superdelegate in 2016.

She's one of those centrist liberals who claims to be an "expert" on exporting American democracy.

In May 2019, Elaine Kamarck highlighted five "minefields" to avoid. One was allowing prisoners to vote. She took right-wing position, saying Democrats shouldn't "get rope-a-doped into giving rights to terrorists" by agreeing with Sanders on voting rights. brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/20…

Kamarck also advocated against Medicare For All in that same May 2019 post.

"...Telling those suburban moms who voted in Democratic members of Congress in 2018 that they will lose their private health insurance is a high-risk strategy."

Socialism was the fifth "minefield" Elaine Kamarck insisted Democrats avoid. Her argument invoked Cold War and urged candidates to cower in face of Republican scaremongering.

Baby boomers hid under their desks out of fear of Soviets. We need to be sensitive to them, she said.

Claire Lucas is chair of LGBTQ Council at DNC and lauded by DNC for her fundraising. She has held leadership positions at World Bank.

She worked as official at USAID, which uses "humanitarian aid" to undermine socialist & independent governments that challenge US foreign policy.

Regina Montoya is a former aide to President Bill Clinton. She recently ran for Dallas mayor.

When Hillary Clinton ran for president in 2016, Montoya was a "Hillblazer" (bundler), who raised over $100,000. usatoday.com/story/news/pol…

John Podesta was the campaign chairman for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.

In this leaked email from February 2016, he agreed in principle that Bernie needed to be "ground to a pulp."

"Where would you stick the knife in?" Podesta added

Emmy Ruiz is Democratic strategist. She was Hillary Clinton's state director in Nevada and Colorado in 2016. She was senior adviser for Kamala Harris' 2020 campaign.
politico.com/story/2019/02/…

Dennis Speight is a Democratic insider and 2016 superdelegate, who backed Hillary Clinton. He is the political affairs director for the Texas Trial Lawyers Association.

Michael Steed is founder of Paladin Capital Group, which invests and helps homeland security companies secure government contracts.

New York state accused Paladin of “pay to play” involving pension fund investment business. In 2010, Paladin settled. pionline.com/article/201012…

Additionally, Michael Steed is founding board member of National Democratic Institute (NDI), which is a project of National Endowment for Democracy (NED).

In August 2019, @TheGrayzoneNews reported on NDI's role in fomenting protest in Hong Kong. thegrayzone.com/2019/08/17/hon…

@TheGrayzoneNews I'll move to some of the individuals DNC Chair Tom Perez nominated for the 2020 Democratic National Convention's Credentials Committee.

Lorraine Miller and James Roosevelt co-chaired the Rules Committee in 2016, and remember how Bernie Sanders wanted Barney Frank removed? He also wanted Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy removed from Platform Committee Chair.

Miller and Roosevelt denied that request.

Tonio Burgos is a veteran lobbyist, who has been a member of Democratic National Committee for over three decades.

Williams Companies previously paid Burgos' firm nearly $1 million to help lobby for fracked gas Constitution Pipeline in New York. public-accountability.org/report/natural…

Shefali Duggal is deputy national finance chair at Democratic National Committee. She was on Rules Committee for 2016 Democratic National Convention and was part of Hillary For America's National Finance Committee.

Elizabeth Bagley has raised millions for Democrats. She was a major fundraiser for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaigns. Her late husband was the heir to the R.J. Reynolds tobacco fortune.

Bagley also is a National Democratic Institute board member.

Going to pause here for the night. But thank you to everyone for sharing this thread.

If you wish to support this kind of journalism, go to @shadowproofcom and donate: shadowproof.com/donate/

Or I also have a weekly podcast: patreon.com/unauthorizeddi…

More soon.

@shadowproofcom I'll add several more names to this thread. All of these are from the Credentials Committee, which receives and considers "challenges to the credentials of Democratic National Committee members."

Gus Bickford is the Massachusetts Democratic Party chair. He previously worked on the presidential campaigns of Bill and Hillary Clinton.

He was one of 17 DNC members to vote against DNC-sponsored climate debate. wgbh.org/news/politics/…

Luke Clippinger is a Maryland Democratic state delegate. He backs Pete Buttigieg and hosted a fundraiser for Buttigieg in December.
baltimorebrew.com/2019/12/13/may…

Cory McCray is a Maryland state senator. He, too, opposed a resolution for DNC-sponsored climate debate and suggested holding a debate would've been a disservice to issues important to black people.
marylandmatters.org/2019/09/12/mos…

Minyon Moore was part of President Clinton's administration. She was CEO of Democratic National Committee. She was close confidante of Hillary Clinton's in '08 and '16.

She was implicated in campaign finance scandal in 2014 involving "shadow campaigns."
chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazi…

Minyon Moore is also principal at Dewey Square Group (scroll up for examples of how DSG has undermined progressive policies, like health reform).

She has "extensive experience in political and corporate affairs" & specializes in "brand awareness strategies" for corporations.

These individuals who DNC Chair Tom Perez nominated were supposed to be "ratified" by the DNC's Executive Committee at meeting on January 25, 2020.

It's unclear who is presently on this Executive Committee. The DNC does not seem to have the membership roster on their website.

Yet, what is known is longtime officials, who backed Keith Ellison or Bernie Sanders, were ousted by DNC Chair Tom Perez in shake-up in 2017.

Those removed included James Zogby, Ray Buckley, and two women—Alice Germond and Barbra Casbar Siperstein. nbcnews.com/politics/elect…

My article on menagerie of lobbyists, corporate consultants, jingoistic think tankers, party operatives, and former Clinton campaign officials, who DNC Chair Tom Perez assembled to protect establishment from the Bernie Sanders campaign.

thegrayzone.com/2020/01/27/dnc…

Bernie Sanders in Sioux City, Iowa, on Jan 27

"...We have Democratic establishment very nervous about campaign. We’ve got Wall St nervous. We’ve got insurance companies nervous. We’ve got drug companies nervous. We’ve got fossil fuel industry nervous..."

Here's a video I put together with help of @bsonenstein.

It contextualizes DNC's convention committee nominations and notes several of the most troubling individuals appointed. Then I outline how exactly this might thwart or undermine Bernie's campaign.

@bsonenstein Faced with a backlash, the DNC defended the secretive manner in which they appointed a diverse group of lobbyists, corporate consultants, party insiders, and pro-Israel Democrats to 2020 convention committees.
shadowproof.com/2020/01/29/dnc…