Although the Democratic National Committee (DNC) has distanced itself from the troubled Iowa caucus app that was developed by Shadow Inc., a new Yahoo News report claims that the governing body was actually “intimately involved” with the development of the technology.
DNC Chair Tom Perez notably slammed the Iowa Democratic Party — which ran the chaotic caucus — as well as Shadow for the delayed rollout of results that The Associated Press ultimately said were too error-riddled to declare a winner. But according to a copy of the contract between Shadow and the Iowa Democratic Party, the developer had to work with the DNC and provide it access for testing.
“Consultant agrees to work with the DNC Services Corporation / Democratic National Committee (‘DNC’) on an on-going basis as Consultant [Shadow] develops the software,” the contract reads.
The document also reveals that Shadow agreed to allow the DNC “continual access to review” many aspects of the app, including security and system logs, system configurations, and operation plans for how the developer will utilize the software for tabulation, reporting, and other actions throughout the caucus.
Despite Perez’s shift of the blame, Yahoo News reported that the committee was in a position to prevent such a botched rollout.
“Yet the contract demonstrated that the DNC should have had the opportunity to forsee some of the problems. One provision in the contract says Shadow would provide ‘monthly. written updates to the DNC regarding the Software status and timeline for implementation.’ It also required Shadow to work with outside consultants and cybersecurity specialists, which the DNC could ‘choose in its sole discretion.’”
When the Iowa Dem Party paid Shadow Inc. to develop an app for recording & reporting Iowa caucus results, was it disclosed the CEO who acquired Shadow Inc. was a Buttigieg supporter married to former Hillary staff (who worked for her *IN IOWA*) & a Buttigieg campaign strategist? pic.twitter.com/9kTdw8NjIl
— RAM (Richard Armande Mills) (@RAMRANTS) February 6, 2020
As the DNC sought to distance itself from Shadow, the app developer did the same for one of its investors, the liberal firm ACRONYM. According to reports, the company’s top officials expressed hostility toward Sanders. In addition, the company is run by Democratic operative Tara McGowan, whose marriage to senior Pete Buttigieg campaign strategist Michael Halle has raised eyebrows and sparked theories that the caucuses were slanted against the Vermont Senator.
“It was rigged, what can I tell ya?” declared progressive commentator Krystal Ball , who shot down suggestions that such a view is a conspiracy theory and called it a “simple objective statement of fact.”
Ball noted the lack of transparency throughout the rollout of results and accused the Democratic institutions of working with donors and grifters.
Others, such as former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon , have expressed similar sentiments and accused the Democratic Party of rigging the primary against Sanders.