I give Donna Brazile just a few points for finally fessing up (after lying and denying) that she stole and supplied CNN debate questions to Hillary Clinton, helping the establishment candidate triumph over insurgent Bernie Sanders.  But I have to deduct even more points, because she did so in a context of blaming the Russians and partially exonerating herself. The expression “non-denial denial” has a cognate in her non-apology apology.

In an essay in Time, after fulminating against the Russians for allegedly hacking the DNC emails  (an assertion whose evidence has never been provided, and denied by Wikileaks), she admits:

In October, a subsequent release of emails revealed that among the many things I did in my role as a Democratic operative and D.N.C. Vice Chair prior to assuming the interim D.N.C. Chair position was to share potential town hall topics with the Clinton campaign. I had been working behind the scenes to add more town hall events and debates to the primary calendar, and I helped ensure those events included diverse moderators and addressed topics vital to minority communities. My job was to make all our Democratic candidates look good, and I worked closely with both campaigns to make that happen. But sending those emails was a mistake I will forever regret.

By stealing all the DNC’s emails and then selectively releasing those few, the Russians made it look like I was in the tank for Secretary Clinton. Despite the strong, public support I received from top Sanders campaign aides in the wake of those leaks, the media narrative played out just as the Russians had hoped, leaving Sanders supporters understandably angry and sowing division in our ranks. In reality, not only was I not playing favorites, the more competitive and heated the primary got, the harder D.N.C. staff worked to be scrupulously fair and beyond reproach. In all the months the Russians monitored the D.N.C.’s email, they found just a handful of inappropriate emails, with no sign of anyone taking action to disadvantage the Sanders campaign.

But the damage was done. Politics has never been considered a clean sport, but 2016 marked a new low. The D.N.C., a political party committee dedicated in part to defending free and fair elections, was attacked by the Russians while the Republican nominee for president openly encouraged it. This was not a Hollywood movie about rogue spies and super agents. This was real life.

Face it: Brazile is a liar and cheater who evades responsibility for her own admitted misdeeds.  Anyone who employs her knows this, and is responsible for her future misdeeds on their air or in their party.