LEADER JEFFRIES ON CNN: "WE'RE GOING TO HOLD THE CROOKS ACCOUNTABLE"

Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on CNN's The Situation Room, where he emphasized that with 70 days until the midterm elections, Democrats are committed to lowering the high cost of living and holding Donald Trump and his administration accountable for their unprecedented corruption and extremism.

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WOLF BLITZER: Joining us now to discuss this and more in an exclusive interview is the House Minority Leader, Hakeem Jeffries of New York. Leader Jeffries, thank you so much for joining us. Can you explain what was the specific objective of this meeting you had with Jared Kushner in New York?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, good morning, Wolf. Great to be with you. And as we've repeatedly indicated as House Democrats, from the beginning of this Congress, we're committed to pushing back against the extremism that has been unleashed on the American people every day, every week, every month, year after year, until we can end this national nightmare. At the same period of time, of course, we have a responsibility to solve problems, and sometimes that means meeting with people on the other side of the aisle to figure out what the opportunities will be in order to address the things that the American people definitively want us to address, which from our standpoint is the reality that the cost of living in this country is way too high. Far too many people are working hard, they're playing by the rules, they can't thrive and they can barely survive. That's not an acceptable situation, and we've got to address that affordability crisis, which is not a hoax. It's very real. I hear about it every day here in Brooklyn and across the country, and we're determined to do something about it.

WOLF BLITZER: So did you accomplish anything specific during this meeting with Kushner?

LEADER JEFFRIES: No, it was just a high-level topical conversation, particularly focused on affordability as well as the housing bill that was recently passed and enacted into law as a foundation for the type of thing that perhaps can be built upon moving forward. By the way, that housing affordability bill that ultimately became law, notwithstanding the President's refusal to sign it, was driven by the strong leadership of Maxine Waters on the House side and Senator Elizabeth Warren on the Senate side of the Capitol, because Democrats are committed to getting things done whenever and wherever possible. At the same period of time, as I've mentioned, nobody's getting a pass because we're determined to make sure, beginning on day one, that we hold every single member of the Trump cartel accountable beginning on day one.

WOLF BLITZER: Well, beginning on day one, you mean if the Democrats become the majority in the House of Representatives and you potentially could be the Speaker. Is that what you're suggesting? On day one of that event, you will begin to hold everyone in the Trump cartel, your words, accountable?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, what I'm suggesting is that if folks have been shortchanging the American people, screwing over the American people or stealing from the American people, yes, our commitment very publicly is that we're going to hold the crooks accountable. We're going to follow the facts, we're going to apply the law and we're going to be guided by the Constitution. Now, that work is going to be led by Jamie Raskin and House Committee Democrats on the Judiciary Committee, as well as Robert Garcia, who's also doing a tremendous job, and Democrats on the Oversight Committee. But let's be clear about something. Our commitment to the American people has been we're going to fight to make life more affordable. We recognize that the cost of living is out of control and we need to lower the cost of groceries, lower the cost of gas, lower the cost of housing. We're also going to fight to make healthcare affordable for every single American because we recognize that, in this great country, access to high-quality, affordable healthcare can't simply be a privilege available only to the wealthy, the well-off and the well-connected. It's got to be a right available to everyone. That's a principle that unites Democrats all across the ideological spectrum.

WOLF BLITZER: Do you have any plans, at least right now, to start meeting with the White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles or even President Trump himself before the midterm elections in November?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, that depends on what legislative business may be in front of us as it relates to the things that need to be done for the American people prior to the midterms. I haven't frequently engaged with Susie Wiles, though we'll see what happens as we move forward in that regard. And of course, Leader Schumer and myself had one high-profile meeting with President Trump in the Oval Office in advance of the 43-day government shutdown, which, by the way, occurred because Democrats have made clear we're not going to support partisan Republican spending bills, in that instance, that gutted the healthcare of the American people. And we're going to continue to battle them on tariffs as we've done, battle them on Medicaid, battle them on the Affordable Care Act, battle them on Epstein, battle them on ICE funding, battle them on the reckless and costly war of choice in the Middle East and, of course, battle them on the unprecedented corruption that has been unleashed on everyday Americans. But as I travel the country, Wolf, I also know that the American people want us in Washington to solve problems. And I'm not simply here to make a point, but I'm also here to make a difference. And we have a commitment to the American people to make a difference in their lives so that they can live an affordable life, a comfortable life and live a good life, which we know what that should look like—it's a good-paying job, good housing, good healthcare, good education for your children and, when it's all said and done, a good retirement.

WOLF BLITZER: I know you've argued that Democrats can indeed address the issue of affordability, that crisis that's unfolding, and take on President Trump's tariffs while simultaneously conducting oversight of this Trump administration. Let's watch what you said in a video posted on social media just yesterday. Listen to this.

VIDEO OF LEADER JEFFRIES: No one is going to get a pass. We're going to hold every single member of the Trump cartel accountable, beginning on day one.

WOLF BLITZER: So what exactly does it mean, and what do you suggest it means when you use the phrase 'Trump cartel?'

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, listen, Donald Trump has conducted himself like an organized crime boss. These people have unleashed unprecedented corruption on the American people. And here's our problem with that: that if you've got people in high office that are so focused on enriching themselves, their family members, their friends and their donors, then they're not focused on actually making life better for the American people. And so, our commitment to combating corruption and to holding the crooks accountable beginning on day one is a commitment actually to make sure that we've got people in government focused on doing the things necessary to address the affordability crisis, to make sure that healthcare is affordable for every single American, to fix our broken immigration system, to restore the damage that's been done to voting rights in the United States of America, including by passing the John Robert Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and, of course, to ending this reckless and costly war of choice in the Middle East, which, by the way, has skyrocketed gas prices on everyday Americans while at the same time putting Iran in a stronger position. So there's a lot of challenges that we'll continue to confront as House Democrats through the balance of this Congress and, of course, into the next Congress.

WOLF BLITZER: If you become the Leader or the Democrats become the majority in the House, are you open to pursuing impeachment of President Trump or are you ruling that out?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, we've made clear we haven't ruled anything in and we haven't ruled anything out. And certainly, as I've indicated, Jamie Raskin and House Judiciary Committee Democrats—I was a proud member of the House Judiciary Committee for 10 years—as well as Robert Garcia and Democrats on the Oversight Committee are going to take the lead. And as we've done in the past, whenever there have been moments of accountability that we've had to lead on, we are guided by three principles: follow the facts, apply the law and be guided by the United States Constitution.

WOLF BLITZER: On another important issue, Leader Jeffries, you issued a statement yesterday slamming what you called 'the malicious claim that American Jews are inviting violence against themselves' as 'dangerous and antisemitic.' Was that in reference to far-left influencer Hasan Piker and his recent very controversial comments?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Yes, those comments were dangerous, malicious and antisemitic and should not be tolerated by anyone in the public square. What we've seen is a startling rise of hate crimes all across the United States of America, but particularly in this moment directed against our Jewish brothers and sisters. And everybody, regardless of ideological perspective, should be willing to denounce this rise of antisemitic rhetoric, hate crimes and bigotry and actually try to move us to a society where we embrace everyone. Even where there are differences on issues, be they foreign or domestic, the notion that people should be targeted because of their religious beliefs or ethnicity or race, whatever the case may be, that's fundamentally inconsistent with who we are in this country.

WOLF BLITZER: Yes, indeed. Hasan Piker's clout among Democrats, though, particularly some younger Democratic voters, seems to be growing. We saw, for example, his prominence in the Michigan Senate Democratic primary. So why not call him out by name in your statement, if you feel so passionately about this issue?

LEADER JEFFRIES: I've just addressed Hasan Piker's comments as it relates to the Jewish community as forcefully as I can, and I will continue to do that.

WOLF BLITZER: Yes, but in your original statement, he was not addressed by name. That's why I was raising the question. Leader Jeffries, you want to give me a final thought before I let you go? And we're grateful to you for joining us.

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, there are 70 days until the midterm elections, and we're either going to move the country forward, or we're going to turn back the clock. And Donald Trump's administration has been a disaster for the American people. That is clear. And we have an opportunity to take back control of the House and the United States Senate so we can begin the process of ending this national nightmare. And look, our commitment as Democrats is going to be to fight every day, every week, every month to actually address the problems that matter here in this country while pushing back against the extremism that has been unleashed on the American people that's unprecedented in nature and needs to end.

WOLF BLITZER: And a final thought: will the Democrats be the majority in the House and the Senate?

LEADER JEFFRIES: We have a good chance of taking back both the House and the Senate, but we've got 70 days. And we've got to knock on every door, we've got to encourage everybody to vote. And we're going to make sure that, notwithstanding the Supreme Court's efforts, that it's going to be the American people who decide who's in the Congress after November 3.

WOLF BLITZER: Leader Jeffries, thanks once again for joining us. Appreciate it very much.

LEADER JEFFRIES: Thank you.

Full interview can be watched here.