LEADER JEFFRIES ON CNN: "HOUSE DEMOCRATS HAVE AN INCREDIBLE TRACK RECORD OF GETTING BIG THINGS DONE"
BROOKLYN, NY – In case you missed it, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on CNN's State of the Union with Dana Bash where he highlighted how House Democrats are unified around putting People Over Politics and continuing to build the economy from the middle out and the bottom up.
BASH: House Democrats were in Baltimore this week and you all were laying out a strategy for the next two years. I want you to listen to something that President Biden told your retreat this week.
[VIDEO] PRESIDENT BIDEN: If we did nothing, nothing but implement what we've already passed and let the people know who did it for them, we win.
BASH: So, Mr. Leader, he's talking about 2024. But frankly, it also sounds like a kind of a tacit admission that Democrats are not going to be able to get as much done now because you're in the minority in the House.
JEFFRIES: Well, good morning. It's great to be with you. Listen, House Democrats are unified, President Biden was dignified and our base is electrified for three reasons. One, we have an incredible track record of support for getting big things done to make life better for everyday Americans. We have a vision for the future. We're going to continue to put People Over Politics to fight for lower costs and better-paying jobs and safer communities, defend democracy, fight for reproductive freedom and build an economy from the middle out and the ground up, as opposed to the top down, which is what Republicans have tried to do for decades. And we present a clear contrast with the extreme MAGA Republicans who are out of touch and out of control.
BASH: So you talk about unity. I want to ask you about something that happened this past week, showed some pretty stark divisions in your Democratic Party because President Biden unexpectedly, rather, announced that he's going to sign a Republican effort to override a new crime reform bill in Washington, D.C. 173 House Democrats, including yourself, voted against that GOP bill. And in large part, that was because you believe that the White House signaled that the president would oppose it. So did President Biden pull the rug out from under you and your fellow House Democrats?
JEFFRIES: Not at all. We have a House, we have a Senate and then we have the White House. In terms of my particular reasons for voting the way that I did, one, I believe that local government should have control over local matters. And that's a principle that I've supported from the moment that I arrived in Washington, D.C., it's one of the reasons why I believe in D.C. statehood. And in this particular case, I voted to affirm local rule.
BASH: Right. But the Democratic president has signaled that he doesn't agree with that and he's going to sign a Republican bill to override what you just described. Are you okay with that?
JEFFRIES: Well, let's take it one step at a time. We have to see what happens in the United States Senate next week. Depending on what the Senate does, the president will have to respond one way or the other. I haven't had an opportunity to talk to the White House yet about the president's views, so I'm not going to characterize his position one way or the other until we've had a chance to talk about what he said about that issue. [...]
What I do know is that Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton has said she looks forward to talking to President Biden about his position. They may agree to disagree. And at the end of the day, that's fine, because on the big picture issues and fighting to build an economy that really does work for everyday Americans, we will remain unified, particularly as compared to the extremism that we're seeing on the other side of the aisle. [...]
BASH: Do you think that part of this is the White House and some of those Senate Democrats you were talking about who are worried about tough reelection campaigns, being worried about Democrats portrayed as soft on crime?
JEFFRIES: No, actually, I think we have a strong record on the issue. We passed gun safety legislation, over the objections of the NRA, for the first time in 30 years. That will save lives. We have to do more. We certainly have a vision for doing more for banning weapons of war on our streets, for enacting universal criminal background check legislation, for investing in dealing with mental illness as our gun safety legislation will do to the tune of $500 million. And so I think we can lean into this issue moving forward based on substance.
BASH: You recently went down to the border. You had a firsthand experience and saw the situation there. This is another area where President Biden has ruffled some feathers in your party by rolling out measures to crack down on illegal border crossings and restrict migrants' ability to claim asylum. How do you feel about that policy?
JEFFRIES: Well, I think we've got to continue to do two things. One, make sure that we have a safe and secure border and take steps anchored in the principle that America is a nation of laws, while at the same time respecting the fact that we also are a nation of immigrants and that part of the foundation of this country has been built on our tremendous diversity, on people coming from all over the world to work hard and pursue the American dream.
BASH: So, yes on the policy or no on the policy?
JEFFRIES: Well, actually, well, based on my visit to the border, what I have seen is that some of the steps that President Biden and the administration have taken over the last few months have certainly reduced the flow of illegal border crossings. And also, those who are seeking asylum now have the ability, in a handful of countries, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba and Haiti, I believe, to sort of pursue those asylum claims while remaining in place or in a transit country.
BASH: I want to ask you, switching topics for a second, about Fox host Tucker Carlson, because he tweeted yesterday that he's going to begin airing some of the January 6 footage that he was given exclusive access to, he says, by Speaker McCarthy. Has this, as far as you know, been vetted by the Capitol Police? Because Speaker McCarthy vowed that he would allow that to happen before it aired.
JEFFRIES: It's not clear to me yet that any material or footage that any news personality and another network may have has been vetted. But it must absolutely be vetted before anything is released into the public domain. The January 6 insurrection was violent, approximately 140 officers were seriously injured a handful of officers died as a result of the events of the January 6 violent insurrection. There are serious security concerns with releasing footage into the public domain in an era where political violence is on the rise and there are people, including the former president, who fanned the flames of extremism.
BASH: And you have no indication that the police have actually vetted that footage?
JEFFRIES: I have no indication at this moment that the police have vetted that footage. It is my hope and expectation that that will absolutely occur. But, Dana, here's the more important issue. President Biden won the election. People on the extreme right know that President Biden won the election, but Donald Trump perpetrated a Big Lie. That Big Lie had real consequences, it led to and incited a violent insurrection. And it's that type of political extremism that we need to move beyond in America.
BASH: And on that note, you and Senator Schumer, the Senate Majority Leader, wrote a letter to Rupert Murdoch calling for Fox to stop spreading false election narratives and admit on the air that they were wrong to engage in such neglect and negligent behavior. Do you as party leader think that Democrats should refrain from going on Fox before that happens? That apology happens?
JEFFRIES: No, I think what should happen right now is that everyone, whether it's on another network or whether it is just in the public domain, certainly in Congress, should refrain from perpetrating a Big Lie because the Big Lie has consequences and democracy is held together by some basic principles, such as free and fair elections and the peaceful transfer of power. Those things were undermined and continue to be undermined by individuals, extreme MAGA Republicans who continue to perpetrate the Big Lie and it has to stop.
BASH: Thank you so much. House Democratic Leader, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Appreciate it. Nice to be in your city here.
JEFFRIES: Thank you. Great to be here with you.
Full press interview can be watched here.