Limited convention role for Wasserman Schultz

Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz still plans to address delegates at Democratic National Convention this week, even after announcing Sunday she would resign as party chief at the end of the event.

Wasserman Schultz will open and close the convention and will address the delegates about “the stakes involved in this election not only for Democrats, but for all Americans,” she said in a statement.

“We have planned a great and unified Convention this week and I hope and expect that the DNC team that has worked so hard to get us to this point will have the strong support of all Democrats in making sure this is the best convention we have ever had,” she said.

CNN reported that her remarks to the delegates — expected to last just a few minutes — might come on Monday. The networks said the campaigns for both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have tentatively agreed to that timing.

But convention organizers are worried about the idea of Wasserman Schultz appearing onstage, The New York Times reported. The organizers said they fear that the intricately choreographed convention would be marred by Sanders supporters booing or heckling her.

Former party spokeswoman Maria Cardona said on CNN that Wasserman Schultz’s statement is just the starting point and that her role could be minimized further to avoid an awkward scene.

Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) will serve as chairwoman of the convention this week in Philadelphia.

Fudge said she is “happy to serve” in the role, The Associated Press reported, and is looking forward to a “great convention and our ongoing efforts as we work together for a strong party and a successful election.”

The news of Wasserman Schultz’s resignation comes after a trove of emails was released by WikiLeaks that appeared to show top officials at the DNC planning how to undermine Sanders‘s presidential campaign.

Sanders and his top aides hit the Sunday talk show circuit to reiterate their demands that Wasserman Schultz resign.

Former Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, a vice chairman at the DNC, also told The Hill on Sunday that those involved in scheming to undermine the campaign should either resign immediately or be fired.

Sanders has long claimed that Wasserman Schultz and DNC were working against him during his race against Clinton for the party’s presidential nomination.

Wasserman Schultz, who publicly said she remained neutral, came under fire several times during the primaries after the Sanders campaign accused her of bias.

Updated at 5:55 p.m.