Hakeem Jeffries Goes On Angry Rant About Karoline Leavitt After She Dissed Democrats Over Shutdown

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Friday accused White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt of being “insane” and “ignorant” after criticizing the Democratic Party’s “core constituency.”

Democrats are furious with Leavitt for saying Thursday that the Democratic Party is made up of “Hamas terrorists, illegal aliens and violent criminals” as she criticized them for keeping the government shut down. Jeffries also told reporters that Leavitt was a “merciless liar” and placed blame for the shutdown on Republicans and the White House.

“And then you have Karoline Leavitt, who is sick. She’s out of control,” Jeffries said. “And I don’t know if she’s just insane or ignorant or a liar or all of that. But the idea that an official White House spokesperson would say that the Democratic Party is made up of terrorists and violent criminals and undocumented immigrants. It makes no sense that that’s what the American people expect from the Trump administration in the midst of a shutdown. So their actions continue to speak for themselves, which is why they’re on the wrong side of public opinion.” (RELATED: Republican Confronts Hakeem Jeffries Face-to-Face Over Shutdown, Heated Argument Ensues)

WATCH:

Nearly all Democrats voted to shut down the government on October 1 after Republicans tried to pass a continuing resolution (CR) that did not include an extension of Biden-era subsidies in the Affordable Care Act. Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and independent Maine Sen. Angus King, who is caucusing with Democrats, voted to keep the government open.

Democrats had already voted for the same CR in previous sessions. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who voted for the shutdown, previously said in September 2024 that a shutdown would “hurt the most” on average Americans, including those on Social Security.

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance said Schumer voted to shut down the government because he feared New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez would mount a primary challenge against him. Ocasio-Cortez and independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders lashed out at CNN’s Kaitlan Collins during a town hall Wednesday for asking whether Ocasio-Cortez was considering a run for his seat.

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