House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries denied reports that he was growing frustrated with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, telling NBC’s Kristen Welker that he doesn’t think she is undermining him with her public comments about the election results.
“I think Speaker Emerita Pelosi has been incredibly respectful to the entire leadership team. It is an honor to stand on the shoulders of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, an incredibly important official in America’s history,” the New York Democrat said Sunday on “Meet the Press.”
Jeffries was poised to become the first black speaker of the House of Representatives if Democrats gained the majority in the House of Representatives. When asked if he thought Pelosi was undermining his leadership with her public statements, he replied firmly: “No.”
“House Democrats, we are proud of the new leadership team. We look forward to meeting the challenges we face on behalf of the American people,” he added.
Some Democrats believe Pelosi, who left the leadership after the 2022 election, should resign to help Jeffries lead the caucus, Axios reported Friday. This follows an interview Pelosi gave to the New York Times in which she suggested President Joe Biden should have dropped out of the race sooner.
Jeffries sidestepped the same question and praised Biden’s choice to drop out.
“I think President Biden will go down in history as one of the most consequential presidents of all time and I was grateful for all the work we were able to do together. He did indeed make the decision – it was a selfless decision – to succeed. passed the torch to Vice President Kamala Harris and she ran with it and did the best she could under incredibly challenging circumstances and just over 100 days,” he said. “She came close, but we fell short.”
Republicans have won 218 seats in the House of Representatives for the next Congress, Democrats have won 212, and five remain undecided.
As a result of their shortcomings, Democrats are now dealing with the fallout from newly elected President Donald Trump’s cabinet choices, which are criticized by many on both the right and left.
“The incoming president has promised the American people throughout the campaign that we would have the best economy, the best border security and the best governance possible,” Jeffries said. “The question that needs to be asked is: Is this the best we can do?”
He continued: “Of course not. America deserves better. Hopefully we’ll see Senate Republicans do their job, scrutinize these choices, certainly confirming those that meet the basic level of qualifications and rejecting others.”
In specific reference to former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, whom Trump has selected as director of national intelligence, Jeffries said he would not characterize her as a Russian asset “at this particular moment,” as his colleague Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla. ) called her Friday.
“I am open to investigating whatever information is presented to all of us, but this will be the responsibility of the Democrats and Republicans in the Senate,” Jeffries said.
