House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) singled out White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Friday while speaking about political violence, leading to verbal blows between the two.
Jeffries’s comments come as both parties spar about violence and the ongoing government shutdown.
“We’ve already seen a rise in political violence and hatred in America, and then you’ve got swastikas apparently appearing in the offices of Republican members of Congress,” Jeffries told reporters on Capitol Hill. “You’ve got Young Republicans engaging in the most antisemitic and racist speech possible.”
Jeffries was referring to a recent incident in which a flag with a swastika symbol appeared in Rep. Dave Taylor’s (R-OH) office, and an inflammatory Young Republicans text group chat. The flag was taken down, and an investigation started while many Young Republicans faced discipline for their words.
“And then you’ve got Karoline Leavitt, who’s sick; she’s out of control,” Jeffries continued. “I’m not sure whether she’s just demented, ignorant, a stone-cold liar, or all of the above. But the notion that an official White House spokesperson would say that the Democratic Party consists of terrorists, violent criminals, and undocumented immigrants, that makes no sense.”
Jeffries appeared to be responding to Leavitt’s Thursday comments in which she said the Democratic Party’s “main constituency is made up of Hamas terrorists, illegal aliens, and violent criminals.”
Leavitt responded to Jeffries’s comments on Fox News later Friday, saying Jeffries “and Democrats are lashing out because they know what I said is true,” doubling down.
“The Democrat Party’s elected officials absolutely cater to pro-Hamas terrorists, illegal aliens, and violent criminals. House Democrats voted against a resolution condemning Hamas following the horrific Oct. 7 terrorist attacks, and Democrats cheered on pro-Hamas radicals while they hijacked America’s college campuses and harassed Jewish students,” she said.
“Democrats opened our borders and allowed tens of millions of illegal aliens into our country over the past four years, including rapists and murderers, because they view them as future voters,” she continued. “Democrats coddle violent criminals and support soft-on-crime policies like cashless bail that let violent offenders back on the streets to hurt law-abiding citizens.”
The government shutdown has both political parties growing tense, with no resolution in sight. Republicans have been unwilling to compromise with Democrats’ healthcare demands, even though some GOP members like Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene (R-GA) have agreed that healthcare needs to be addressed.
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Leavitt and the Trump administration have overwhelmingly blamed the shutdown on Democrats, even coining it the Sen. Chuck “Schumer Shutdown” (D-NY).
“Democrats do NOT serve the interests of the American people. Hakeem Jeffries is an America Last, stone-cold loser. Now open up the government and stop simping to try to get your radical left-wing base to like you,” Leavitt wrote on X Friday.
