House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Sunday rejected critics who claim former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is weakening the leadership of Congressional Democrats.
Pelosi (D-Calif.) — widely believed to have played a key role in President Biden's decision to drop out of the 2024 campaign, spoke out on Nov. 5 about what was wrong for Democrats. has been accused of indirectly dissing the Democratic Party. Member of the New York State Assembly.
Democratic Party officials complained To Axios“She needs a seat at the table,” while a member of the Congressional Black Caucus argued, “I don't think she respects him.”
But Jeffries countered on NBC's “Meet the Press,” saying, “I think Speaker Pelosi was incredibly respectful of the entire leadership team.”
“It is an honor to stand on the shoulders of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a pivotal public servant in American history, and to continue to work closely with her and, of course, Jim Clyburn and Steny Hoyer,” the Democratic Party said. the lawmaker said. .
Pelosi, 84, led House Democrats from 2003 to early 2023, before passing the baton to Jeffries, 54.
Despite being removed from a formal leadership position, Pelosi clearly continues to maintain significant influence among House Democrats and within the party more broadly.
Immediately after the election, Pelosi caused controversy by telling the New York Times that Biden, 81, should have withdrawn from the race sooner, lamenting the lack of a competitive primary.
Asked whether Biden left office too late, Jeffries declined to address the controversy head-on.
“President Biden will go down in history as one of the most influential presidents of all time, and I was grateful for all the work we were able to do together,” Jeffries said.
“It was a selfless decision to pass the torch to Vice President Kamala Harris. She ran with it and I think she did the best job she could in a little over 100 days under incredibly difficult circumstances. “We were close, but we missed,” he said. “And we need to do an after-action analysis.”
Some Democrats have privately argued that Pelosi was partly responsible for the party's disastrous election results and is now trying to save face.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania), who supported Biden during the Democratic revolt over the summer, shared some of that sentiment with Politico.
“She really tried to – what's the word I'm looking for?” — and she accepted this, “She's the godmother, she's the enforcer.” he told the outlet. “And now she's blaming Biden. Well, you can't have it both ways.”
Jeffries is reportedly He privately sought to take some of the blame for the Democratic Party's setbacks and praised a new generation of leaders within the party.
“At the same time, as House Democrats, we are proud of our new leadership team and look forward to rising to the challenges we must face on behalf of the American people.”
“We will be laser-focused on addressing issues that are relevant to working-class Americans, middle-class Americans, and people who want to be part of the middle class.”
Jeffries also briefly commented on some of President-elect Donald Trump's picks for the next administration, hinting that some of them are not qualified.
“The president-elect promised the American people during his campaign that we would have the best economy, the best border security, and the best government.”
“The question that has to be asked is: Is this the best we can do in the circumstances of some of these nominations? With so many challenges that we're facing. Is this the best America can offer in a moment like this? Of course not,” Jeffries said.
