Trump Campaign Blames 'Database Error' That Allowed White Nationalist On California Delegate List
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/CBS News/AP) -- Donald Trump's campaign believes a computer problem resulted in a prominent white nationalist being included on a list of his potential California delegates.
The campaign for the presumptive Republican nominee said the name has been withdrawn and a corrected list resubmitted to state officials.
Trump's California director, Tim Clark, says in a statement Tuesday that a "database error" was at fault.
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"Yesterday the Trump campaign submitted its list of California delegates to be certified by the Secretary of State of California," a statement to CBS News read. "A database error led to the inclusion of a potential delegate that had been rejected and removed from the campaign's list in February 2016."
The campaign said potential delegate William Johnson had been rejected and removed from the campaign's list in February.
CBS News reported Johnson is the chairman of the American Freedom Party. The Southern Poverty Law Center described it as "a political party initially established by racist Southern California skinheads that aims to deport immigrants and return the United States to white rule."
Johnson's appearance on the list was first reported by Mother Jones magazine.
Johnson is a Trump supporter who told The Associated Press that he received an email from Clark earlier Tuesday informing him that his name had been "erroneously listed" as a delegate.
In California, Republican candidates pick potential delegates to the GOP's summer convention. They are selected based on the outcome of voting in the state's June 7 primary.
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