JUST IN: Hakeem Jeffries Blasts Marjorie Taylor Greene, Samuel Alito At Press Briefing
At his weekly press briefing on Thursday, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) took shots at Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Justice Samuel Alito.
Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:
https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript
Stay Connected
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com
Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:
https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript
Stay Connected
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Morning everyone. From the very beginning of this Congress, House Democrats have made
00:06clear that we will find bipartisan common ground with our Republican colleagues on any
00:12issue, whenever and wherever possible, in order to solve problems for hard-working American
00:21taxpayers and deliver real results. That's exactly what we have done, repeatedly, in
00:30order to make a difference in the lives of the American people. For the balance of this
00:36Congress over the next few months, extreme MAGA Republicans have a choice. We can either
00:47engage in a bipartisan partnership in order to get things done for everyday Americans,
00:58or the extreme MAGA Republicans can engage in political stunts and gamesmanship. Unfortunately,
01:10in connection with the appropriations process that has just begun, the extreme MAGA Republican
01:19majority has unnecessarily decided to engage in political stunts and gamesmanship by marking
01:30up appropriations bills that have zero chance of becoming law, because they will dramatically
01:40impose cuts on the American people that will hurt their health, their safety, and their economic
01:50well-being. And extreme MAGA Republicans, in connection with the sham appropriations process
01:59that they have decided to initiate, are trying to jam right-wing policy changes down the throats
02:09of the American people, including stripping away reproductive freedom from military women,
02:18attacking the LGBTQ plus community, trying to eliminate programs that promote diversity,
02:29equity, and inclusion, and engaging in other unnecessary and extreme efforts that are all
02:44dead on arrival. What are we doing it for? We agreed in May of last year to a top-line spending
02:59number of $16.81. That's the number that was connected to the Bipartisan Fiscal Responsibility
03:12Act and our effort to avoid a catastrophic default on our nation's debt that would have
03:20crashed the economy. An agreement is an agreement is an agreement. The only thing, at the end of the
03:27day, that any of us have in this Congress is our word. It was an agreement. Top-line spending number
03:33is $16.81. That's the number. Nothing short of that will we ever agree to, which means that the
03:51extreme MAGA Republicans who understand that dynamic, because we've repeatedly made it clear,
03:57are trying to shut down the government and hurt the American people in advance of the November election.
04:08Questions?
04:11Reporter, can I get your reaction to Samuel Alito having stolen various flags of conservative nature outside of Texas?
04:19He tells it appears as well-resourced as it is. Is that appropriate?
04:25It's totally inappropriate. Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas are totally out of control. These individuals
04:34continue to detonate the credibility of the United States Supreme Court. In the case of Samuel Alito, he
04:48definitively needs to recuse himself from any matter pending before the United States Supreme Court that has to do
04:58with the January 6th filing insurrection. He should have no part of it. Part of the problem that we confront is that the
05:08Supreme Court has chosen to conduct itself as if the judiciary is above the law. In America, no one is above the law.
05:22That includes the Supreme Court, that includes Samuel Alito, and that includes Clarence Thomas. If the Supreme Court does
05:34not get its act under control, you can be confident that Democrats in the House of Representatives partnering with Democrats
05:47in the United States Senate will act. The first opportunity we have to engage in thorough oversight and the consideration of imposing
06:02an ethical code of conduct on Supreme Court justices.
06:09The House Farm Bill is coming to the committee today, and there's pressure on some front-line Democrats to support it, even though
06:16Democratic leadership has said it's strictly a cut. I'm just curious what you think that vote will look like later today.
06:22The members of the Ag Committee on the Democratic side have been engaging in multiple discussions with themselves, evaluating the
06:32legislation, figuring out which amendments should be offered, but all have made clear that the $30 billion cut to SNAP benefits is
06:47unacceptable, unconscionable, and un-American. The effort to roll back the progress that has been made on combating the climate crisis
06:59in connection with the Inflation Reduction Act is unacceptable. Our planet is at risk. We've taken important steps to try to address it.
07:17We have to see how the markup unfolds, what amendments are offered, what amendments are accepted, before any individual member on the Democratic side
07:37can make a fully informed decision about how to proceed.
07:44I wanted to follow up on that question. Are you encouraging your members to vote against this bill, or do you think they should vote against it?
07:54We always encourage members to evaluate the legislation, both as it has initially been presented, and in the context of a markup, what is the final
08:09product for consideration? There are ongoing conversations that have taken place, driven by the Ag Committee Democrats, that have been
08:21thorough and thoughtful and engaging. So we'll just have to see the outcome of the markup. It's hard for me to understand why any Republican would
08:36vote to cut nutritional benefits to children and veterans in such a draconian way. But that is what is being proposed by House Republicans.
08:53So let's see what happens at the end of the markup.
08:59There's quite a few members of the caucus who seem to be expressing concern about that moving on to Congress. Is that something you think should happen?
09:08I'm in conversation with various parts of the House Democratic caucus, and in advance of those conversations being thoroughly completed,
09:20I'm not in a position to comment on what our position will be, particularly because there are ongoing discussions, as I understand it, led by Speaker Mike Johnson.
09:34To that end, can you characterize the divide inside the caucus, the consternation about some electing a world leader who shouldn't be allowed to come speak, others electing a world-famous leader?
09:47This is a simple question. The divide is overstated. The Republicans have repeatedly tried to make Israel a partisan political issue and divide Democrats,
10:01and they have failed. They have failed. By the way, the majority of House Republicans voted against sending $3.3 billion in security assistance to Israel in March of this year.
10:22The majority of House Republicans voted against sending $500 million in assistance to Israel for defensive systems including, but not limited to, Iron Dome, Arrow, and David Slint.
10:40That's the Republican position. In connection with that same legislation, the overwhelming majority of Democrats voted to support Israel's security needs.
10:55Republicans are spinning the block, and they've done it for years, trying to divide Democrats when, as it relates to any of our Democratic allies, including Israel, including Ukraine, and including Taiwan,
11:15these should be non-partisan issues that are evaluated solely through the needs of America's national security interests.
11:26But your members have spoken out against Mitt Romney. I mean, you've got Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez saying this should not bring down the country. I mean, there are divides there. I understand what you're saying about the Republicans, but there are divides.
11:38Here's our view. Unity is different than unanimity. Unanimity occurs when you are part of a cult. And when you are part of a cult, it doesn't matter how outrageous, outlandish, and un-American the directive or position may be.
12:01When the cult leader says, jump, you say, how high, or show up at the courthouse all wearing the same red tie uniform. Unity is different than unanimity.
12:17We remain unified around the perspective that we're going to continue to put people over politics, solve problems for hardworking American taxpayers, get things done and deliver real results, while at the same time pushing back against the extreme right Republicans.
12:42There is no one who can reasonably look at the 118th Congress, ask a question about being divided and disunified, and direct that at House Democrats. Are you kidding me?
12:55We're the ones who have held together repeatedly to get things done for the American people, including as it relates to avoiding a catastrophic default on our debt, passing the National Defense Authorization Act, sticking together to successfully win a discharge petition on disaster assistance, consistently avoid government shutdowns,
13:22make sure we reach a spending agreement that provides for the needs of the American people, and push back against the pro-Putin Republicans, led by Marjorie Taylor Greene, who wanted to destroy freedom and democracy throughout the world in the context of defunding the Ukrainian war effort.
13:45Can anyone reasonably take the position, based on that record of delivery for the American people across the ideological spectrum in the House Democratic caucus, that Republican efforts to divide us has had any modicum of success? Of course not. Of course not.
14:09They should be embarrassed by the futility of what they have tried to do, while at the same time, the ongoing GOP civil war is raging. House Democrats had to save the extreme right Republicans from Marjorie Taylor Greene because they can't control her.
14:26They can't control her. And so, it's nothing but puppies and rainbows on the House Democratic caucus side.
14:40Thank you, Mr. Leader. Yesterday was the first oversight hearing since last week's spectacle with Connie Coleman Crockett and AOC and Marjorie Taylor Greene.
14:53I wanted to get your thoughts on that particular hearing, and I also wanted to get your thoughts on the fact that Connie Coleman Crockett has since trademarked the phrase used against Marjorie Taylor Greene, and they sell merchandise. Do you think that that's an appropriate way to use what happened in last week's hearing?
15:23And Congresswoman Crockett is certainly in a position to make decisions as to what is the best way for her to conduct her campaign activity.
15:33Marjorie Taylor Greene is a pro-Putin, propaganda-spewing performance artist. She has no desire to get things done for the American people in the United States Congress, and the Republicans have no capacity to get her under control.
15:55And so the events of last week speak for themselves. Our conduct, this Congress as House Democrats, consistently finding bipartisan consensus to save Republicans from themselves in order to deliver real results for the American people, also speaks for itself.
16:20Speaking of Ukraine, should Ukraine be allowed to strike across the border in order to protect the party? And why do you think that challenge is getting down to the worst in the majority of people?
16:50We believe that our job is to champion the Constitution, defend democracy, and eradicate extremism.
17:20Apparently there are people on the other side of the aisle who want to try to silence Jim McGovern, because he waxes the floor with them every time he speaks. Apparently it makes them uncomfortable, and they just can't handle it.
17:41While at the same time, giving Marjorie Taylor Greene free reign to conduct her outrageous behavior. This is what we're dealing with. The Constitution, or the cult.
17:57So with respect to the Ukrainian war effort, I think that these are ongoing conversations between the Biden administration and the Ukrainian defense apparatus.
18:11I am of the view that we need to be as aggressively supportive as possible in ensuring that Ukraine can be successful in pushing back against Russian aggression for the good of the Ukrainian people, for the good of our allies in Europe, and for the good of the free world.
18:34In terms of the specifics, that is something to be worked out at the moment between the Ukrainian government and the Biden administration, which has done an incredible job to date in supporting our democratic allies in Ukraine who have fought bravely against all odds.
18:58And we cannot rest until victory has been won.
19:04Thank you, Senator. Has Speaker Johnson approached you about a Biden-Hudson path forward on a response to the ICC? And if so, what have those conversations looked like so far?
19:13Speaker Johnson and myself have not had that conversation, but there are ongoing discussions, as I understand it, between Chairman McCaul and Ranking Member Gregory Meeks.
19:26And the objective is to try to reach bipartisan consensus with respect to the International Criminal Court.
19:33Trump is in the Bronx this evening. You spoke earlier about the Democrats taking the time. I'm just curious, why do you believe, then, that some of the polling suggests that Black Americans, Latino Americans, their support for Biden is lacking in America?
19:58Well, it's going to be important for the Biden administration and Democrats in the House and the Senate to continue to make the case to communities of color specifically, but to all parts of America, certainly, that the Biden track record has produced real results that have made a difference in the lives of the American people,
20:25including, but not limited to, saving the economy from a once-in-a-century pandemic, fixing our crumbling infrastructure in a manner that has created millions of good-paying jobs, ensuring clean water in every community, passing gun safety legislation for the first time in 30 years that will save lives, including in the Black and brown community,
20:50making sure that we provide over a million veterans with access to health care who are suffering from harmful exposure to toxic substances, burn pits, and aged arms, bringing domestic manufacturing jobs back home to the United States of America, supporting science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education for our young people,
21:17and, of course, driving down the high price of life-saving prescription drugs for millions of Americans, including capping the price of insulin at $35 per month for those on Medicare who are disproportionately, in terms of dealing with diabetes, Black and Latino.
21:39Historic investments in Latino-serving institutions, historic investments in Black colleges and universities, Latino unemployment, African-American unemployment down, homeownership and job creation in those communities, as is the case across all of America up.
22:07But we also recognize that there's more that needs to be done, and we're going to have to articulate a vision that's compelling over the next four years as to how we will continue to put people over politics.
22:20Get things done. Finish the job. Lower costs. End price gouging. Confront housing affordability. Keep our communities safe. Fix our broken immigration system, including by working on the issue of DREAMers, farm workers, and family reunification, while at the same time addressing the challenges at the border.
22:50We have a track record to make a compelling case and an important vision for the future, and we're just going to have to aggressively lean in over the next several months.
23:05Go ahead.
23:07Hold on a minute. I want to follow up on a statement that Congressman McGovern made. Are you very concerned about that?
23:13He and I have had an opportunity to have a conversation subsequent to that happening.
23:18So this week we've seen the Senate chaplain as well as the State Department offer condolences to the Iranian president. Do you have an issue with that, considering this record of human rights violations, especially some of the people they consider to be sex offenders?
23:49I've had no comment on that situation one way or the other myself.
23:54Thank you. Back to the ICC, quickly. We saw your statement half a day introducing charges of reprimand for crimes against Prime Minister Netanyahu.
24:06More broadly, though, do you consider the ICC a legitimate body? Do you think it does have some value in the global debate over war crimes and human rights and that sort of thing?
24:17And if so, does it not kind of delegitimize it if you're saying, well, these recommendations are okay and these recommendations are not, and most of it is okay and Netanyahu is not? How do you square this?
24:33The United States, as you pointed out, is not part of the International Criminal Court at this particular moment in time, and I think that's appropriate.
24:44Last question.
24:46What do you make of what's your opinion on Sen. Schumer advancing that security pact that was stalled three months ago now? I know that included some border conditions. Does that have a place in the House, if by some miracle it passes?
25:16I think we should try and address the challenges that we confront at the border. We have a broken immigration system and we need order at the border.
25:31And we should enter into a bipartisan discussion about how to solve the issue as opposed to what's happening on the extreme-magnet-Republican side, which is simply to try to weaponize the issue politically.
25:48The extreme-magnet-Republicans are not serious about addressing the challenges that clearly exist at the border, which is why they detonated their own legislation after holding up Ukrainian security assistance for months by claiming that we needed border policy changes.
26:11And once the border policy changes were agreed upon, they walked away from legislation designed to meet the challenges at the border because they were ordered by their puppet master to do that thing.
26:30They walked away from their own bipartisan legislation that they insisted upon for months because Republicans are not interested in solving problems.
26:47They simply want to weaponize issues and divide America while engaging in political stunts because they think it will help them politically in November.
27:04Democrats are going to continue to be reasonable, responsible, and results-oriented. We need more common sense and less chaos in Washington, D.C.
27:19Fortunately, the Republicans appear as though they want to continue to lean into chaos, dysfunction, and extremism. And if that keeps up, I think they will pay a price in November. Thank you.
27:38Thank you.