Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin allegedly hurled his phone at a junior staffer’s desk during a heated reprimand, according to a bombshell New York Times report that also exposed the party’s hidden money troubles.
Story Snapshot
- Ken Martin reportedly threw his phone at a junior aide’s desk in early July during a reprimand.
- The incident triggered a formal complaint with the DNC’s human resources department.
- The New York Times report also revealed the DNC is asking vendors to delay bills until after the midterms.
- The phone incident adds to months of infighting, leaked calls, and leadership turmoil inside the party.
Phone-Throwing Incident Sparks Formal Complaint
The New York Times reported that Martin threw his phone at a junior staff member’s desk during a reprimand in early July. The outburst was serious enough that a formal complaint landed with the DNC’s human resources department shortly after it happened.
Mediaite summed up the Times piece bluntly, describing a party “in total chaos” that is both fending off creditors and led by a chairman stressed enough to chuck a phone at a staffer’s desk. The report, written by Times reporters Shane Goldmacher and Reid Epstein, paints a picture of an institution under pressure from every direction.
Democrats Hide Financial Troubles From Public
The same New York Times report revealed the DNC is facing serious money problems. Officials at party headquarters have started asking vendors to delay billing until after the midterm elections, an accounting move meant to hide how bad the shortfall really is. For a party that spent years lecturing Americans about fiscal responsibility, that kind of bookkeeping trick tells voters everything they need to know about who is actually managing their money behind closed doors.
Feud With David Hogg Exposes Deeper Dysfunction
The phone incident is not the only sign of trouble at DNC headquarters. On a leaked May Zoom call, Martin told fellow party leaders that Vice Chair David Hogg had “essentially destroyed” his chances of leading the committee effectively, blaming the ongoing infighting for making the DNC’s job harder. Multiple DNC leaders on that call accused Hogg or his allies of leaking the audio to reporters, though Hogg has denied it and no evidence has been produced to support the accusation.
Autopsy Report Fight Fueled Calls for Martin to Resign
Martin has faced separate pressure over his handling of the DNC’s internal review of the party’s failed 2024 campaign, often called the “after-action report.” He had promised on his first day as chair to release it, then reversed course, prompting elected officials and party operatives to publicly call for his resignation.
Axios reported that more than two dozen Democrats described a growing crisis of trust in Martin’s leadership, tied largely to confusion over which version of the campaign autopsy actually reflects what happened in 2024. Between the leaked audio, the buried report, and now an alleged phone-throwing incident and a hidden budget hole, the DNC’s own internal accounts paint a party struggling to manage basic workplace conduct while it prepares to ask voters for their trust in the midterms.
Sources:
mediaite.com, nytimes.com, thehill.com, nbcnews.com
