The author of the Democratic Party's internal report on its 2024 presidential election loss claims an entire section was cut from the published version. Paul Rivera told the New York Times that the missing chapter, titled "What Happened in 2024," included questions about Joe Biden's decision to run for re-election and the influence of party operatives who became "generationally wealthy off politics."
Missing Chapter Details
Rivera said the chapter was in the version he handed to party chairman Ken Martin in January, but it was missing from the report released in May. The Democratic National Committee has previously said the autopsy was released "in its entirety."
The missing section states that Democratic wins before the election led the party "to believe they were stronger than they actually were. President Biden, seeing those results, made the consequential decision to seek re-election even when Americans were already sending a very strong signal: they were unhappy with the status quo."
Party Response
Martin disputed Rivera's account, saying "this alleged report section was not in any binder I reviewed." He added that if it had been included, "we would have released it with the rest of the report."
Rivera said he is going public with the claim and his own 564-page review. "It's coming from a place of hope and, honestly, a little bit of desperation," he told the outlet. "I think that we need some disruption here to force change."
