Tenn. Clinton delegate booted after skirmish with Sanders supporter
A Tennessee delegate has had his credential and duties rescinded and no longer has a seat at the Democratic National Convention after an altercation on Monday with a Bernie Sanders supporter.
Jerry Ogle, a Clinton delegate from Monroe County, was removed from Tennessee's delegation Tuesday morning after it was determined that he violated the party's code of conduct agreement when he had an inappropriate interaction with Amanda Kruel, a Sanders delegate.
"Yesterday I was cheering for Bernie as many others were and there was a guy behind me who was making faces at me. There was one point where he grabbed me by the shoulder and he twisted me around and yelled in my face, 'Act like a Democrat," Kruel, who is from Knoxville, said while describing Ogle's actions as "assault."
The casual viewer's guide to the Democratic convention
Kruel said Ogle was angry because she was supporting Sanders. "I told him don't you care about freedom of speech — I'm just trying to be a Democrat," she said Tuesday afternoon. "People are interrupting speeches to yell when they hear Hillary. Why is it wrong to interrupt speeches and yell when they hear Bernie?"
Prep for the polls: See who is running for president and compare where they stand on key issues in our Voter Guide
The incident in question occurred Monday shortly after the convention officially convened.
After the interaction, Kruel said she reported it to Tennessee Democratic Party Chairman Mary Mancini, who confirmed Ogle's removal from the delegation.
"I don't want to get in the specifics. I think that's probably a personal thing between Jerry and us and Amanda but we do have a code of conduct that our delegates do need to follow and he violated that," she said.
Ogle confirmed the incident to The Tennessean but offered a different account, saying he merely tapped Kruel on the shoulder and did not forcefully grab her before leaning in and telling her that she wasn't really a Democrat, he explained.
When reached Tuesday evening, Ogle admitted that his actions were inappropriate.
"I take full responsibility for that," he said, adding that he didn't believe it was serious enough to warrant his removal as a delegate. "I've let a lot of people down. I'm so sorry and I feel awful that all of this has happened."
Earlier in the day, the state party sent out an email indicating Ogle had been replaced by Nashville attorney Rob McGuire, an alternate delegate.
"This morning, Jerry Ogle was removed from the Tennessee Delegation. Per the rules for replacement of delegates after the 72-hour pre-gavel deadline, he will be replaced with a temporary delegate, " Jacqueline Harms, communications director for the state party, wrote in an email to Kruel.
Kruel, who was among those who booed when Clinton was mentioned during the early part of Monday's proceedings, pushed back against the idea that Sanders' delegates are trying to divide the convention.
Referencing recent revelations that she was vetted by Democratic National Committee staff members to decide whether or not she could attend a private fundraiser, Kruel said, "There are a lot of things the DNC has done that makes it really hard to trust them. I am willing to be open-minded and here if they are willing to work with us and cooperate and be civil — but being assaulted by this guy does not tell me that," she said.
Kruel, like many Sanders delegates, said she is simply supporting the candidate the voters wanted her to represent. "I think it's messed up that there are Democrats here who support Hillary who think that the Bernie supporters should not be able to voice their support."
Joel Ebert writes for The Tennessean. Follow him on Twitter: @joelebert29
