Washington, DC - Today the DNC issued the following statement:

"Last night members of the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee received a 17 page memo that outlined a staff analysis of the Michigan and Florida challenges.  Included in the materials were copies of the challenges, and an overall timeline re-capping the process from the decision in 2004 to establish a Commission on Presidential Nomination Timing and Scheduling, through to current events. 

"The staff analysis is intentionally neutral; it does not make specific recommendations.  The analysis lays out a rules framework for each challenge, and the issues raised within each challenge.    
     
"The analysis maintains that the RBC did have proper authority and jurisdiction in imposing the 100% sanction.  The RBC had wide latitude in that decision.   

"The document also examines the 50% automatic sanction and how to implement such a sanction:  Under this scenario, one option would be to reduce the total number of delegates by half; the second option for consideration by the RBC would be to reduce the delegation's votes by half, so that each delegate gets a half vote. 

"We look forward to a thorough discussion of these issues at the Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting this Saturday, May 31st in Washington, DC."