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Sanders has called for the ousting of leadership from the convention committee level up to the top

Sanders has publicly clashed with Wasserman Schultz throughout the campaign

Washington CNN  — 

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders on Thursday vowed to work with Hillary Clinton to defeat Donald Trump, but he didn’t end his presidential bid or endorse the presumptive Democratic nominee.

“The major political task that we face in the next five months is to make certain that Donald Trump is defeated and defeated badly,” Sanders said in a much-anticipated live-stream address. “And I personally intend to begin my role in that process in a very short period of time.”

Sanders did not offer details on how he plans to fulfill that role.

Much of the video amounted to a version of Sanders’ standard stump speech, and he encouraged his legions of followers to run for local office.

He once again pledged to take his bid all the way to the convention. And he described his differences with Clinton as “strong” but limited.

“It is no secret that Secretary Clinton and I have strong disagreements on some very important issues. It is also true that our views are quite close on others,” Sanders said. “I look forward, in the coming weeks, to continued discussions between the two campaigns to make certain that your voices are heard and that the Democratic Party passes the most progressive platform in its history and that Democrats actually fight for that agenda.”

The Vermont senator vowed to take his campaign’s “energy” into the Democratic National Convention next month. But Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver told Bloomberg News earlier Thursday that the campaign was no longer actively lobbying superdelegates.

Fight with DNC continues

Sanders’ presidential campaign is winding down – but his fight with the Democratic National Committee is just getting started.

The Vermont senator has called for the ousting of leadership from the convention committee level up to the top – publicly insisting that DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz be replaced. And his campaign wants two well-known Democrats removed from key posts at the national convention in Philadelphia next month.

“I do believe that we have to replace the current Democratic National Committee leadership,” Sanders told reporters in Washington Tuesday as the last Democratic primary voters went to the polls. “We need a person at the leadership of the DNC who is vigorously supporting and out working to bring people into the political process.”

Sanders has publicly clashed with Wasserman Schultz throughout the campaign, including a spat over the number of debates scheduled that led to one of his congressional backers, Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, quitting her post at the DNC.

He also sent a letter last month to the committee calling for the removal of two Democrats from their convention leadership positions: Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy, who co-chairs the Platform Committee, and former Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank, co-chairman of the Rules Committee.

Clinton, Sanders meet; Clinton wins D.C. primary

The DNC swiftly dismissed the request.

Frank has spoken out against Sanders, writing in July 2015 that Sanders’ campaign was a threat to Clinton’s chances in a general election and “wishful thinking is no way to win the presidency.” Malloy has been critical of Sanders’ record on gun control.