The presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders has laid out ground rules for delegates representing him at this summer’s Democratic National Convention, barring them from attacking other candidates or party leaders, according to a report.
The move, reported by the Washington Post, appears to be part of a larger effort to reduce the appearance of party infighting among progressives dissatisfied with having a moderate like Joe Biden as the Democratic standardbearer.
The rules call for delegates for Sanders (I-Vt.) to not take part in combative conversations on social media, refrain from making negative attacks on other Democrats and to not speak to reporters without campaign approval.
“This Campaign is about the issues and finding solutions to America’s problems. Our job is to differentiate the senator from his opponents on the issues — not through personal attacks,” the code of conduct reads.
The Sanders campaign confirmed that it had sent out the code of conduct to its delegates who were slated to attend the Milwaukee-based convention in August.
According to the paper, the rules angered some of the delegates, and the campaign is working with them to adjust its demands.
“When delegates attend the Democratic convention, they will be representing Sen. Sanders, the ideas he ran on and the millions of working people who supported his campaign. That is a serious responsibility and we’re asking them to follow a basic code of conduct while carrying out that duty,” Sanders campaign spokesman Mike Casca said in a statement to the outlet.
Sanders and Biden have been close for decades, having known each other through their work together in the Senate. The Vermont independent has been working with the former vice president’s campaign since Biden became the apparent primary front-runner in March to bring together their supporters by combining portions of their platforms.
Sanders, who remained a bitter rival of 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton even through the general election, is hoping to avoid the same outcome four years later by working with Biden to unify moderates and progressives.
During the 2016 convention, Sanders supporters and delegates protested the former secretary of state being the party’s nominee, causing a major fracture in the party as the general election approached.
Sanders’ campaign spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment by The Post.
A Biden spokesperson did not immediately respond to The Post when asked if the campaign was aware of the delegate rules.




