Hillary Clinton: Chaotic Nevada Democratic Convention Results In A Bigger Lead For Front-Runner [Video]

Democratic presidential front-runner and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton extended her delegate lead over Bernie Sanders by two on Saturday. Clinton nabbed seven delegates at the Las Vegas convention, while Bernie was only awarded five. While the results the Nevada Democratic Convention were highly contentious, they actually lined up pretty closely with February’s Nevada caucuses. In February, Hillary Clinton won 53 percent of the vote, but many Nevada voters cried foul and alleged voter fraud.

As The Hill reports, Saturday’s victory leaves Hillary Clinton with 20 Nevada delegates and Sanders with 15 when Saturday’s delegates are combined with those doled out in February.

The results of the Nevada Democratic Convention, which favored Hillary Clinton, were immediately denounced by Sanders supporters at the events. Sanders supporters said that their favored candidate was unfairly treated and that around 64 of Hillary Clinton’s rival’s delegates were wrongly excluded from the convention.

Leslie Sexton, a co-chair of the convention credentials committee, commandeered the mic after the final results to tell an aggravated and hostile crowd that she had a “minority report but was not allowed to give it.” Bernie Sanders supporters, visibly upset about Hillary Clinton’s narrow victory, chanted “recount” and “let her speak.” Ultimately, she was given the podium and the opportunity to speak by a DNC member.

She reported to the unruly and divided crowd that 64 Sanders delegates had been excluded from the process and that the Vermont senator had only 33 fewer delegates than Hillary Clinton attending the event.

“The credentials minority report is based on the challenge of 64 Sanders delegates. Contrary to the procedures and precedents set by the committee, nearly none of these 64 people were presented with the opportunity to be heard by the committee or to demonstrate that they are registered Democrats.

Without the opportunity to be heard, no delegate could be stricken. The actions of the credentials committee violates the spirit of the Nevada state delegate plan, which encourages full participation in the democratic process, and it violates the spirit and values of our state and our nation.”

A member of the Democratic National Committee said that the minority report would get to the national committee, but the Nevada Democratic Party defended the process that allowed a Hillary Clinton victory to take place at the convention. According to the Nevada Democratic Party, the Sanders-supporting delegates were excluded because they either didn’t register by the May 1 deadline or because their personal information could not be found or identified in time for the convention.

Sanders supporters were dissatisfied with the party’s response, and so angered by the Hillary Clinton victory that the convention got reportedly became violent, with physical altercations reportedly breaking out between Hillary Clinton supporters and disgruntled Sanders supporters who felt “defrauded” by both the process and the results that allowed Clinton to increase her delegate lead.

Ultimately, Hillary Clinton’s Nevada win resulted in so much contention and dissent between Clinton and Sanders supporters that the Nevada Democratic Convention ended early and with threats of arrest for those in attendance. The situation actually got so bad that the Nevada Democrats were kicked out of the venue.

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The convention took place at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel, reports CNN. Following the announcement of a Hillary Clinton victory, things between convention-goers got heated and unruly, and hotel security told event organizers to pack up and leave because security could “no longer handle” the convention.

Convention-goers quickly took off in what was, in lieu of the earlier chaos, a fairly orderly fashion. Both Sanders and Hillary Clinton supporters had been threatened with arrest if they couldn’t refrain from further violence or disturbing the peace, according to reports.

“At approximately 10:00 p.m. on Saturday night, the director of security for the Paris Las Vegas Hotel informed the state party and representatives from both presidential campaigns that the property could no longer provide the necessary security under conditions made unruly and unpredictable. Paris Las Vegas Hotel security requested a prompt conclusion to the event.”

The need to abruptly end the event cemented Hillary Clinton’s dominance, as following the request to leave, the chairwoman approved a motion to accept the delegate slates submitted by the Sanders and Hillary Clinton campaigns.

The Nevada win puts Hillary Clinton’s delegate count at 2,240 compared to Sanders’ 1,473. This means that Hillary Clinton is only 143 delegates away from securing the Democratic presidential nomination.

[Image Courtesy Of Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]