E-mails show Debbie Wasserman Schultz pressured ‘Morning Joe’ — to no avail

On May 18, "Morning Joe" co-host Mika Brzezinski said Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz "should step down" because she had favored Hillary Clinton over Sen Bernie Sanders (I-VT) throughout the primary. One week later, Brzezinski doubled down, saying, "My contention all along has been that [Wasserman Schultz] has been in the tank for Hillary from the get-go, and it's been quite obvious." The repetition seemed like no big deal at the time, but now hacked DNC e-mails show that in between Wasserman Schultz and her staff flipped out, pressuring MSNBC to make Brzezinski and partner Joe Scarborough tone down their criticism. Clearly, it didn't work.

The WikiLeaks' release of DNC e-mails offers a window into Democrats' relations with the press. In some cases, the view of the media isn't terribly flattering. "This is the LAST straw," Wasserman Schultz wrote to her communications director, Luis Miranda, on the morning that Brzezinski called for her resignation. "Please call Phil a [sic] Griffin. This is outrageous. She needs to apologize."