Former Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele sharply criticized the Democratic National Committee for releasing a deeply flawed post-election autopsy report on Thursday, questioning why party leaders chose to publicize a document they themselves acknowledge is substandard.
“I don’t understand why y’all can’t get out of your own way,” Steele told MS NOW’s “The Weeknight.” “This is a report that should have been released at the time. Because what I’ve just heard from you, nothing in that report that’s changed from the day it was first released to today. So if you’ve changed nothing, if you’ve not cleaned it up, if you’ve not made it better, if you’ve not answered the constituent questions within the DNC, why are you doing this today?”
The report, commissioned after the party’s 2024 election losses, was initially withheld by DNC Chair Ken Martin, who cited flaws in its methodology and sourcing. But following mounting pressure — including calls for transparency from within the party — Martin released the document in full on Thursday, along with a statement apologizing for the delay.
“For full transparency, I am releasing the report as we received it, in its entirety, unedited and unabridged,” Martin wrote. “It does not meet my standards, and it won’t meet your standards, but I am doing this because people need to be able to trust the Democratic Party and trust our word.”
The release has sparked a fresh wave of internal criticism. Former DNC co-vice chair David Hogg called on Martin to resign, describing the episode as “a demoralizing joke.” In a statement, Hogg said, “This autopsy, and the months-long debate about even releasing the report, is a demoralizing joke. Ken Martin should resign, and the DNC should select a new leader who demonstrates competence, creativity, moral clarity, and a relentless commitment to actually changing the broken Democratic Party brand.”
At least one House Democrat, Rep. Marc Veasey of Texas, has also called for Martin to step down. The internal backlash underscores the party’s ongoing struggle to regroup after the 2024 defeat and to present a unified front ahead of the November midterm elections, where Democrats hope to retake the U.S. House.
Steele echoed the criticism, arguing that the report’s release does nothing to advance the party’s prospects. “You know what you’ve done? You’ve given Republicans now something to talk about,” he said. “This furthers nothing.”
The report itself, which blames the Biden campaign team for Vice President Kamala Harris’s 2024 loss and cites research failures, has been widely panned as incomplete and methodologically weak. The DNC’s handling of the document has only deepened questions about party leadership and strategy.
For more on the report’s findings, see our coverage: DNC autopsy blames Biden team for Harris 2024 defeat. For context on Martin’s decision to release the flawed document, read DNC Chair releases flawed autopsy after backlash.
