{"id":49203,"date":"2026-08-16T20:45:26","date_gmt":"2026-08-16T15:45:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=49203"},"modified":"2026-08-16T20:45:26","modified_gmt":"2026-08-16T15:45:26","slug":"dnc-chair-ken-martin-denies-throwing-phone-at-staffer-amid-complaint","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=49203","title":{"rendered":"DNC Chair Ken Martin denies throwing phone at staffer amid complaint"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div id=\"beyondwords-wrapper\" data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"beyondwords-wrapper\">\n<p><span class=\"label-bg\">NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">Democratic National Committee Chair (DNC) <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_media_article_main-content_article-body_6_3937939\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/person\/m\/ken-n-martin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ken Martin<\/a> denied Saturday that he presided over a paranoid workplace at the party&#8217;s Washington headquarters \u2014 where he&#8217;d allegedly even been hit with an HR complaint \u2014 prompting MS NOW hosts to question why the allegations were emerging from inside the organization.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">Martin was pressed about the alleged HR complaint for throwing a phone at a staffer&#8217;s desk and reports that employees had become fearful of leaks and decisions he allegedly made in isolation. Martin denied the reporting and praised the DNC\u2019s employees.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;Multiple sources also described a growing sense of paranoia inside DNC headquarters under your leadership and that the staff had become afraid of leaks and decisions that you were making in isolation,&#8221; MS NOW co-host Jacqueline Alemany said at one point.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;Well, the reporting is not accurate, but what I would say is every day when I go into the DNC, what I see is a staff that works extremely hard,&#8221; Martin said. &#8220;They\u2019re working overtime. I\u2019m usually the first one in, the last one to leave.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Martin dismissed the &#8220;noise on the outside&#8221; and said Democrats were focused on winning in November, when Democrats are hoping to win back Congress to stifle the Trump White House.<\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/343\/192\/ken-martin-fox-news-intv-portsmouth-nh-feb-14-2026.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/686\/384\/ken-martin-fox-news-intv-portsmouth-nh-feb-14-2026.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/672\/378\/ken-martin-fox-news-intv-portsmouth-nh-feb-14-2026.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1344\/756\/ken-martin-fox-news-intv-portsmouth-nh-feb-14-2026.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/931\/523\/ken-martin-fox-news-intv-portsmouth-nh-feb-14-2026.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1862\/1046\/ken-martin-fox-news-intv-portsmouth-nh-feb-14-2026.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/720\/405\/ken-martin-fox-news-intv-portsmouth-nh-feb-14-2026.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1440\/810\/ken-martin-fox-news-intv-portsmouth-nh-feb-14-2026.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1200\/675\/ken-martin-fox-news-intv-portsmouth-nh-feb-14-2026.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"DNC chair Ken Martin\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>DNC Chair Ken Martin speaks with Fox News.<\/span> <span>(Paul Steinhauser\/Fox News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_media_article_main-content_article-body_6_3937940\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/dnc-chair-ken-martin-threw-phone-aides-desk-faced-hr-complaint-sign-frayed-nerves-report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>DNC CHAIR KEN MARTIN THREW PHONE AT AIDE&#8217;S DESK, FACED HR COMPLAINT IN SIGN OF &#8216;FRAYING NERVES&#8217;: REPORT<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;But to be fair, Mr. Chairman, some of this noise is coming from the inside, right?&#8221; co-anchor Eugene Daniels asked.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Martin said he did not know why the allegations were coming from inside the DNC before shifting to voters\u2019 economic concerns.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;You know, I don\u2019t know, but as I travel across the country, Eugene, what I hear from the American people, they\u2019re not focused on any of that,&#8221; Martin said.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">The New York Times <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_media_article_main-content_article-body_6_3937941\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/07\/26\/us\/politics\/ken-martin-dnc-democrats.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">cited six people<\/a> familiar with the alleged phone incident, although none witnessed it firsthand. Accounts differed over how forcefully Martin threw the device, but the newspaper reported that it landed on the aide&#8217;s desk while Martin reprimanded the staffer and led to a human resources complaint.<\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/343\/192\/ken-martin-dnc-nov.-2-2025.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/686\/384\/ken-martin-dnc-nov.-2-2025.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/672\/378\/ken-martin-dnc-nov.-2-2025.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1344\/756\/ken-martin-dnc-nov.-2-2025.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/931\/523\/ken-martin-dnc-nov.-2-2025.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1862\/1046\/ken-martin-dnc-nov.-2-2025.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/720\/405\/ken-martin-dnc-nov.-2-2025.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1440\/810\/ken-martin-dnc-nov.-2-2025.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1200\/675\/ken-martin-dnc-nov.-2-2025.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"DNC Chair Ken Martin\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>MS NOW co-anchor Eugene Daniels pressed Martin on why allegations about his leadership were coming from inside the DNC.<\/span> <span>(Bill Clark\/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_media_article_main-content_article-body_6_3937942\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/elissa-slotkin-democratic-party-new-leadership\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>SLOTKIN SAYS DEMOCRATIC PARTY NEEDS &#8216;NEW LEADERSHIP&#8217;: &#8216;OLD MODELS ARE NO LONGER WORKING&#8217;<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">NOTUS separately <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_media_article_main-content_article-body_6_3937943\" href=\"https:\/\/www.notus.org\/democrats\/dnc-headquarters-collateral-loan-ken-martin-phone\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">reported<\/a> that the phone did not strike the aide but left several staffers shaken. Martin apologized to the aide during an HR meeting the following business day, according to the outlet.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">The reports followed a May meeting in which Martin allegedly expressed anger about information leaking from DNC headquarters. Fox News Digital <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_media_article_main-content_article-body_6_3937944\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/debt-ridden-democrats-tap-surprising-asset-collateral-15m-loan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reported<\/a> that members of the party\u2019s leadership team were asked to sign nondisclosure agreements before a meeting about the committee\u2019s finances.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">The internal tensions emerged as the DNC faced a steep financial disadvantage ahead of the 2026 midterms. <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_media_article_main-content_article-body_6_3937945\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/cash-strapped-dnc-shelled-out-more-than-800k-non-voting-territories-like-virgin-islands-while-debt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Federal Election Commission filings<\/a> showed the committee ended June with $16.3 million in cash and $18.5 million in debt, compared with the Republican National Committee&#8217;s $128.5 million in cash and no debt. The DNC had also drawn $15 million from a credit line secured in part by its headquarters.<\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/343\/192\/iStock-1296606378.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/686\/384\/iStock-1296606378.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/672\/378\/iStock-1296606378.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/1344\/756\/iStock-1296606378.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/931\/523\/iStock-1296606378.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/1862\/1046\/iStock-1296606378.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/720\/405\/iStock-1296606378.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/1440\/810\/iStock-1296606378.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/1200\/675\/iStock-1296606378.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Political fund raising for Congress - running for reelection - washington politics\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>The DNC faced internal leaks and financial pressure as Martin defended his leadership ahead of the midterm elections.<\/span> <span>(iStock)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_media_article_main-content_article-body_6_3937946\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/james-carville-rages-over-failure-dnc-release-2024-political-autopsy-calls-too-stupid-words\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>JAMES CARVILLE RAGES OVER FAILURE BY DNC TO RELEASE 2024 POLITICAL AUTOPSY, CALLS IT &#8216;TOO STUPID FOR WORDS&#8217;<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Rufus Gifford, a former Biden deputy campaign manager and Obama-era DNC finance director, previously pointed to the <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_media_article_main-content_article-body_6_3937947\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/ex-biden-campaign-manager-says-theres-no-saving-dnc-chair-ken-martin-after-inside-reports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">internal leaks<\/a> as evidence that employees had lost confidence in Martin&#8217;s leadership.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;The leaks coming from inside the building streaming across <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_media_article_main-content_article-body_6_3937948\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">every media outlet<\/a> say to me that the (diligent and wonderful) staff are losing or have lost faith,&#8221; Gifford said.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Martin defended the committee\u2019s spending strategy in a <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_media_article_main-content_article-body_6_3937949\" href=\"https:\/\/kenmartin73.substack.com\/cp\/207862182\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">July Substack<\/a>, claiming the party was investing its money in staff, organizing, technology and state parties.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;But a party is not a savings account,&#8221; Martin said. &#8220;Its purpose is to build power.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a href=\"https:\/\/foxnews.onelink.me\/xLDS?pid=AppArticleLink&amp;af_dp=foxnewsaf%3A%2F%2F&amp;af_web_dp=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fapps-products\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Fox News Digital reached out to the DNC for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.<\/p>\n<p> <!----> <!----> <\/p>\n<div class=\"article-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-bio\">\n<p>CJ Womack is an associate editor at Fox News.<\/p>\n<p>CJ joined Fox News Digital&#8217;s team in 2026, which highlights the vital role journalism plays in shaping politics and culture. He has years of experience analyzing and reporting on the news media.<\/p>\n<p>CJ graduated from Long Beach State University in 2025 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a minor in Journalism.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>You can send news tips to cj.womack@fox.com and follow CJ on <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/womackche\" target=\"_blank\">Twitter.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Democratic National Committee Chair (DNC) Ken Martin denied Saturday that he presided over a paranoid workplace at the party&#8217;s Washington headquarters \u2014 where he&#8217;d allegedly even been hit with an HR complaint \u2014 prompting MS NOW hosts to question why the allegations were emerging from inside the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":49204,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/ken-martin-dnc-nov.-2-2025.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49203","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pics-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49203","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=49203"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49203\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/49204"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=49203"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=49203"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=49203"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}