Biden, Warren Raise Objections After Iowa Democrats Say Only Half of Caucus Results Will Be Released First

Joe Biden speaking at a campaign event for Hillary Clinton at a September 27, 2016 rally at Drexel University, in Philadelphia. (Photo: Bastiaan Slabbers/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Biden, Warren Raise Objections After Iowa Democrats Say Only Half of Caucus Results Will Be Released First

"I think that's a bit disingenuous," said Sanders campaign advisor Jeff Weaver. 

The Iowa Democratic Party said Tuesday that approximately half of the results from the state's caucuses should be available by 5:00pm ET--an announcement made during an afternoon conference call that reportedly resulted in "objections" from representatives of the Joe Biden campaign.

"We want to get some results out there," said Iowa Democratic Party (IDP) chair Troy Price in the call.

As New York Times reporter Shane Goldmacher pointed out on Twitter, there were "objections."

The objections, according to the Associated Press, came primarily from Dana Remus, a lawyer for the Biden campaign.

"You need to have enough transparency that other people feel comfortable about it now and we're just not there right now," said Remus.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), on the campaign trail in New Hampshire, told reporters that she found the IDP releasing only half of the results to be an insufficient response to calls for transparency.

"I just don't understand what that means, at least half of the data," said Warren. "I think they ought to get it together and release all the data."

Jeff Weaver, an advisor to the Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) presidential campaign, urged other campaigns on Tuesday's call to support the IDP's decision and expressed skepticism at the motivations of the campaigns objecting to the release of the results.

"Folks who are just trying to delay the return of this because of their relative positioning in the results last night, I think that's a bit disingenuous," said Weaver.

The Sanders campaign, using its own independent count of results, has already released counts from 60% of the caucuses.

Biden, who appeared headed to a disastrous showing in Iowa despite being the national frontrunner, has seized on the confusion around the results to deflect from what is expected to be a fourth place finish. On Tuesday the former vice president told reporters he was "feeling good" about the race.

The candidates now head to New Hampshire, where they will barnstorm the New England state in advance of voting on Feb. 11.

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