DNC Suspends Bernie Sanders Data Privileges

Right now, Bernie Sanders is the only one #FeelingTheBern. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has suspended the Vermont Senator and Democratic presidential hopeful’s access to their voter database. Campaigns use this database to gather voter information that can help them plot out their plans for fundraising and campaigning.

Thanks to a software glitch, the Sanders campaign was able to access private information mined by Democratic presidential rival and current frontrunner, Hillary Clinton’s campaign. This is a big no-no in the eyes of the DNC. Each campaign’s data is considered confidential.

Usually, each campaign is separated and protected by a firewall. Unfortunately, for a brief time on Wednesday, that firewall came down, allowing Sander’s team access. The DNC was notified about the problem.

Sanders immediately fired the staffer involved, national data director, Josh Uretsky. He claims that he wasn’t trying to access the data, but to figure out how Sander’s own data was being compromised. The DNC will not reinstate their access until the campaign provides a full explanation of the situation and proves that they have destroyed any data breached.

This suspension comes at a crucial time for the campaign with the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries coming in early February. Clinton leads Sanders right now in Iowa, but the Vermont Senator has been gaining in recent polls. Sanders leads Clinton in the New Hampshire primary.

Twitter has already nicknamed the incident #BernieGate. Predictably, both Sanders and Clinton supporters quickly weighed in. Guess everyone is actually #FeelingTheBern.

https://twitter.com/brooksboron/status/677876958609346561

This is a set up pure and simple! #HillNo #FeelTheBern #BernieGate #BernieOrBust https://t.co/OxgTKJ4unw

— George R. Mutt 🌎 (@Georgiemutt) December 18, 2015

https://twitter.com/JoseCruzJr/status/677862463874859008