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DNC and Sanders campaign reach agreement to restore access to key voter data after breach

DNC and Sanders campaign reach agreement to restore access to key voter data after breach

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Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Tempers flared late this week after it was discovered that Bernie Sanders' campaign had accessed proprietary voter information belonging to Hillary Clinton's bid for the Democratic nomination. The Democratic National Committee swiftly handed down a harsh punishment in the aftermath, blocking Sanders' campaign managers from the DNC's voter data.

That decision, in turn, led the campaign to file a lawsuit in federal court against the committee, arguing that it had no grounds to halt the agreement between the two parties to license that data. It additionally alleged that the punishment would cost $600,000 a day in lost donations, and some on Sanders' staff went so far as to say that the DNC's decision amounted to tipping the scales in Clinton's favor.

Expect some sparks to fly at the debate

As of late Friday night, however, the two sides have come to an agreement, and the Sanders campaign now has access to the voter information once again. In a statement, the campaign's manager said "We are extremely pleased that the DNC has reversed its outrageous decision," adding, "clearly, they were very concerned about their prospects in court." For its part, the DNC reiterated that the campaign's behavior was "completely unacceptable" and the two sides have agreed to an investigation into just what happened.

All of this, of course, came right on the eve of the third Democratic debate, which is happening on ABC tonight at 8PM ET. You'll be able to stream the apps with ABC's mobile apps and ABCNews.com.