Editing Democratic National Committee (section)

===2016 email leak===
{{Main|2016 Democratic National Committee email leak}}
{{see also|Wilding v. DNC Services Corp.}}
On July 22, 2016, WikiLeaks released approximately 20,000 DNC emails.<ref>{{cite web|title=WikiLeaks - Search the DNC email database|url=https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/|publisher=[[WikiLeaks]]|access-date=3 August 2016|date=22 July 2016|archive-date=July 23, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160723215733/https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/|url-status=live}}</ref> Critics claimed that the Committee unequally favored [[Hillary Clinton]] and acted in support of her nomination while opposing the candidacy of her primary challenger [[Bernie Sanders]]. [[Donna Brazile]] corroborated these allegations in an excerpt of her book published by ''[[Politico]]'' in November 2017.<ref>{{cite news|last=Brazile|first=Donna|author-link=Donna Brazile|date=November 2, 2017|title=Inside Hillary Clinton's Secret Takeover of the DNC|url=https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/11/02/clinton-brazile-hacks-2016-215774|work=[[Politico]]|access-date=November 4, 2017|archive-date=November 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171105233621/https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/11/02/clinton-brazile-hacks-2016-215774|url-status=live}}</ref> The leaked emails spanned sixteen months, terminating in May 2016.<ref name=":2">{{cite news|url=https://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/288883-wikileaks-posts-20000-dnc-emails/|title=WikiLeaks posts 20,000 DNC emails|last=Uchill|first=Joe|date=2016-07-22|work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]|language=en-US|access-date=2016-07-23|archive-date=July 25, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160725134552/http://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/288883-wikileaks-posts-20000-dnc-emails|url-status=live}}</ref>

The WikiLeaks releases led to the resignations of Chairperson Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Communications Director Luis Miranda, Chief Financial Officer Brad Marshall and Chief Executive Amy Dacey.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/08/02/democratic-national-committee-ceo-amy-dacey-resigns-in-wake-of-email-breach/|title=Top Democratic National Committee officials resign in wake of email breach|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|first1=Abby|last1=Phillip|first2=Katie|last2=Zezima|date=2 August 2016|access-date=4 August 2016|archive-date=August 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160804021809/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/08/02/democratic-national-committee-ceo-amy-dacey-resigns-in-wake-of-email-breach/|url-status=live}}</ref> After she resigned, Wasserman Schultz put out a statement about possible FBI assistance in investigating the hacking and leaks, saying that "the DNC was never contacted by the FBI or any other agency concerned about these intrusions."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/21/dnc-no-help-homeland-security-hacks-239800|title=Jeh Johnson: DNC did not want DHS help following election hack|work=Politico|first1=Austin|last1=Wright|date=June 21, 2017|access-date=September 21, 2019|archive-date=September 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190921045659/https://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/21/dnc-no-help-homeland-security-hacks-239800|url-status=live}}</ref> During a Senate hearing in January 2017, James Comey testified that the FBI requested access to the DNC's servers, but its request was denied. He also testified that old versions of the [[Republican National Committee]]'s servers were breached, but then-current databases were unaffected.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fbi-director-comey-agency-requested-access-to-dnc-servers/|title=FBI Director Comey: Agency requested access to DNC servers|work=CBS News|first1=Emily|last1=Schultheis|date=January 10, 2017|access-date=September 21, 2019|archive-date=September 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190921045659/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fbi-director-comey-agency-requested-access-to-dnc-servers/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The DNC subsequently [[Democratic National Committee v. Russian Federation|filed a lawsuit]] in federal court against WikiLeaks and others alleging a conspiracy to influence the election.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/democratic-party-files-lawsuit-alleging-russia-the-trump-campaign-and-wikileaks-conspired-to-disrupt-the-2016-campaign/2018/04/20/befe8364-4418-11e8-8569-26fda6b404c7_story.html|title=Democratic Party sues Russia, Trump campaign and WikiLeaks alleging 2016 campaign conspiracy|first1=Tom|last1=Hamburger|first2=Rosalind S.|last2=Helderman|first3=Ellen|last3=Nakashima|date=April 20, 2017|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=August 15, 2018|archive-date=June 20, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180620231907/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/democratic-party-files-lawsuit-alleging-russia-the-trump-campaign-and-wikileaks-conspired-to-disrupt-the-2016-campaign/2018/04/20/befe8364-4418-11e8-8569-26fda6b404c7_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>