Enjoy unlimited access to exclusive articles and ad free content. The release of the report did not quell speculation about the findings or the outrage that Martin had initially caused by his insistence on keeping the information secret. Instead, it exacerbated a long-running public relations and managerial nightmare. Martin, who for months refused to reveal the findings of the autopsy but said the DNC had learned important lessons, told a completely different story on Thursday. He claimed the report was incomplete and that he would not support it. The document that was released contained annotations from the DNC refuting different assertions. According to two sources who have knowledge of the internal discussions, donors are now doubting whether or not they can trust DNC with their funds. Martin spent part the day with them on the phone, talking through his decisions. Progressive groups have expressed their dismay that the DNC report, which was released on Thursday but did not include Gaza, even though officials interviewed pro-Palestinian group members. Martin’s critics now call for him to step down. Steve Schale, an experienced Democratic strategist, described the events unfolding as “an unmitigated s—show”. “There is no confidence in DNC’s competence.” release an autopsy report Schale asked if DNC members were going to do anything. It is not possible for party members of remove a DNC Chair. Members can vote in a motion of no confidence. Martin, in a Thursday staff meeting, indirectly addressed the issue of pressure to step down. A person who was present at the staff call said that Martin stated, “This was a serious mistake.” “I’m responsible for it and it’s now time to move on at the DNC. I hope you’ll go forward with me.” Martin asked a friend he has known for over two decades to write the report. Rivera, who was unavailable for comment, did not receive any payment to complete the report. Martin told

that the DNC did not receive any source material as a result of Rivera’s analysis. Person

who was present at the time said the DNC requested, but did not receive, a list with names of those interviewed. They also stated that despite repeated requests, the DNC never received the transcripts or notes from the interviews. Before the release

Despite Martin’s constantly changing public narrative about the autopsy and the DNC’s chair’s behind the scenes interactions with Rivera, some of the explanations were not true. Two sources claim that Rivera attended senior-level meetings of the committee and spoke to Martin within the DNC office in the months following Martin’s December decision. The DNC has not commented on Rivera’s continuing involvement. It also did not answer when they cut ties. Martin informed DNC members that Rivera is no longer involved with the DNC. Rivera gave a presentation on the findings of the report. There was no indication, according to those who were present at the event, that the report wouldn’t be released. A source familiar with the situation claimed that Martin didn’t see the major sections of report until just before Christmas.

The changing positions on the autopsy brought even more intense skepticism among those seeking answers as to what role the Biden Administration and Vice-President Kamala Harris played in her electoral loss.

“The Party has a crisis of leadership.” I think that the base of the party is far more advanced than the leaders of the parties,” said Norm Norm Solomon, the co-founder of RootsAction who pushed for its release. “Part of the problem is that it’s easier for one leader to be changed than to change the culture within a party. People who knew what was best in private wouldn’t reveal it. They deferred the people in charge. They deferred to people at the top. Margaret DeReus in a press release said: “Ken Martin must make clear and unambiguous what the author of the report told us, that is that DNC officials analyzed their own data and found that Biden’s support for Israel would be a negative factor for Democrats by 2024.” Martin’s supporters say that while Beltway types, media and other elites are engrossed in the topic, average Americans don’t really care. Jaime Harrison, the former DNC Chair, expressed his regret on Thursday for the distraction and energy the report has caused in the DNC. He also criticized the people who have not used this energy to protest against the Supreme Court decision that weakens the Voting Act. Harrison told an interviewer on Thursday that “you go to Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi right now and ask people: ‘What’s on your list of top 10 priorities?’ I can assure you the DNC Report is not one of them.” Martin’s work was lauded by one donor in an interview with him on Thursday. She also expressed her confidence in his leadership.

What’s most important is that yes, 2024 was a close loss. “But the other side that isn’t as well known is that we overperform,” said Ursula Terrasi from Kansas City. In some unlikely districts, we’ve had amazing wins. So we are coordinating with him, he is coordinating and he helps the states. Vinod T., a DNC representative from North Carolina highlighted some of the key findings in the autopsy. Thomas stated that “the irony of the report is the fact that it validates what Ken had been saying about what we needed to do. Instead of investing in year-round organization and voter contact, they

spent too much on last-minute blitzes.” Constant pressure

This latest episode is the latest flashpoint in a DNC under constant pressure since Martin assumed the leadership almost 16 months ago.

Democrats gained ground in 2025 races across the nation and outperformed Republicans in special elections as Donald Trump’s proval ratings and voter frustration over the economy played into their hands. Martin’s tenure, however, has been marred by bad headlines. These include his spat within the party with Gen Z activist David Hogg, and the repeated questioning of the Republican National Committee’s huge cash advantage over Democrats – $124 million compared to $14 million at the end last month according to the latest campaign finance reports. DNC debt is greater than cash reserves. Martin has also been plagued by the debate over autopsy report. Martin, who was elected to lead the DNC as of February 2025, spoke just hours later about the importance of a

full-scale audit to determine what went wrong between 2024 and 201010. He then pledged that the report would be released to the public. Martin also criticized previous party leaders for failing to do so after their party’s loss in the 2016 presidential election.

There was a thorough post-election review conducted many years ago right after the ’16 election. This was never made public. It was a huge undertaking for the DNC, which cost a lot of money and time. But it wasn’t released to DNC Members. What hpened then, right? At the time, he asked: “Was it useful to do that?”

“Of Course it Will Be Released, Right? Martin said that the information would be made available to our members and we’d all need to learn. Then, in December last year, the party made a complete 180-degree turn. Martin, in a January 2010 statement, said that while the party has “completed a thorough review of 2024 and we are already putting learnings in motion”, this was done to keep Democrats focused on the future. A DNC official said to NBC News at the time that the review was based on hundreds of interviews and included specific lessons, as well as details about the ways the party could be more responsive to the concerns of voters. Martin or the official didn’t express any concerns in public about the report that they were holding. The chairman did not show any doubt in the report when he peared on the liberal podcast “Pod Save America” hosted by Obama’s campaign veterans late last month. Martin’s tone was different in his

letter, when he said that the report he received late last year wasn’t “ready for primetime”. He also wrote, “I’m not proud of this, as it doesn’t meet my standards and won’t meet you standards.” I do not support what is in the report or what was left out. In good faith, I couldn’t give it the DNC stamp of proval. Transparency is important. Today, I release the report in its entirety — unedited and unabridged, with annotations to claims that could not be verified. Devin Remiker is the chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party. He told NBC News, that while he understands Martin’s criticisms of a “complete” report “filled with errors”, the whole situation was “dispointing”. The autopsy, he added, had been “dispointing in many ways.” Democrats missed the opportunity to conduct the thorough review of 2024, which so many people wanted. The report is not complete and contains many mistakes. For Democrats, it’s hard for them to determine what they can salvage from this work in order to improve future campaigns. Remiker added that the autopsy incident would not help. Remiker refused to say whether he trusted Martin to continue as chair, but he called on the party to remain united in this crucial election year. Remiker continued, “I do not spend my time thinking about whether Ken Martin should remain or resign.” “I am glad that he has released the autopsy. I hope he will use this as a point of reflection to help him find new ways to improve. As far as I’m aware, he will be the chair for the midterm elections and I want us all to succeed — him at the DNC and in states across the country and candidates running for office. We can’t do it unless we are united, if only we trust one another.