LEADER JEFFRIES ON MS NOW: "ICE IS CLEARLY OUT OF CONTROL AND THEY NEED TO BE REINED IN"
Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on MS NOW's The Weekend, where he emphasized that while Donald Trump continues to peddle in racist and disgusting rhetoric, House Democrats will continue to hold his administration accountable and protect the American people from the out-of-control Department of Homeland Security.
JACKIE ALEMANY: Joining us now is House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
EUGENE DANIELS: Leader Jeffries, we appreciate you coming on, especially after we see what the President has done and this important conversation. People that know you, people like us who have reported on you, have met you before, see you as, like, a measured person, right? And so, I think a lot of people may have been surprised by the video that you sent out, right, and surprised in that it—he got you all the way there, that at the end of the day, the President of the United States said all these things, and it is forcing kind of all of us to think about the ways in which we react to those things. What does it mean for the United States to have a President who not only posts racist things, whose policies have racist undertones and who lies about it and his team lies about it over and over again, even though we can see what they posted?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, his behavior is disgusting, and the response has been disgusting. And so, of course, everyday Americans, myself included, are disgusted by it all, and I felt compelled to communicate that in the most clear-throated way possible. Now, the President right now should own up to his mistake, he should apologize and perhaps most importantly, he should pledge to do better. I mean, we should be bringing the country together. Instead, this guy continues to try to tear us apart. And there's no justification for it. And his behavior, of course, is unacceptable, it's unconscionable and it's un-American.
EUGENE DANIELS: You called it a mistake, Leader, and I wonder if you do think it was a mistake, or do you think President Trump is a racist?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, I think, listen, from the standpoint of it being a mistake, it was a mistake as it relates to the notion that you would post something like this, a racist video targeting President Obama and Michelle Obama, both of whom are incredible, patriotic, compassionate Americans, as I've indicated, the best of what this country is all about. He continues to go after them and target them in ways that are unexplainable other than the fact that he's just jealous and envious of their success, their eloquence, their brilliance and their professionalism, the exact opposite of manner in which he conducts himself.
EUGENE DANIELS: But Leader, do you believe that Donald Trump is a racist?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, what I've said about the President is, look, if the guy is not a racist, he's certainly doing the best job that he can trying to convince us otherwise as it relates to his behavior and the manner in which he's conducted himself repeatedly for decades.
JACKIE ALEMANY: Leader Jeffries, you are also in the midst of negotiations with regards to funding the Department of Homeland Security. It could lead to a partial government shutdown. You have one week left to figure that out, but it seems like any sort of deal is contingent on negotiations between you, Leader Schumer and the President himself. I'm wondering personally what it is like for you to have to negotiate with someone who you might not say is racist explicitly, but espouses these kinds of racist views.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, listen, I mean, I think at the end of the day, we've got to put the American people first. And what we have right now in front of us is a situation where ICE is clearly out of control and they need to be reined in. Taxpayer dollars, of course, should be used to make life more affordable for the American people, not to brutalize and kill them, as we've seen in Minneapolis with the killings, in cold blood, of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti. And so, immigration enforcement in this country should be just, it should be fair and it should be humane. That's not what's taking place right now on the streets of the United States of America. And so, as a result, what we need to have happen is dramatic reform related to the Department of Homeland Security. And Leader Schumer and I, on behalf of House and Senate Democrats, we've laid out ten points that need to be addressed, including mandatory body cameras, judicial warrant requirements. Masks need to come down. We need accountability so that state and local elected officials are able to investigate and prosecute violations of the law by ICE agents and others acting in concert with them. And so, I'm going to approach this discussion as it relates to there's a clear set of demands. These changes need to be enacted. We're not going to accept a my-way-or-the-highway approach. The status quo is unacceptable. And we need bold, meaningful change.
VAUGHN HILLYARD: Leader, could you lay out for the public what they should expect from this next week, understanding that Leader Thune, over on the Senate side, said the Republican conference would not get behind these 10 demands? Have—number one, how many conversations have you had with President Trump here in the year of 2026 so far, and do you anticipate or desire to have any conversations directly with him over the next five, six days?
LEADER JEFFRIES: I have not had a single conversation with Donald Trump or anyone at a high level at the White House during 2026, which, to me, shows their lack of seriousness as it relates to this issue. It's clear to me that Donald Trump and the Republicans, they want to shut down FEMA. They want to shut down the Coast Guard. They want to shut down TSA and the other parts of DHS that serve the American people, because they're uninterested in reining ICE in. They're uninterested in getting this agency, which is so clearly out of control, to conduct themselves like every other law enforcement agency in the country, as opposed to brutalizing the American people, which is what is horrifying everyday Americans. So, as we move forward, we continue to maintain we'll talk to anyone, any time, any place, when it comes to solving problems, meeting the moment and addressing the challenges of the American people. That would be the President, that would be the relevant Cabinet officials and, of course, that means my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. But we're not going to accept any kind of my-way-or-the-highway approach. We need dramatic change at DHS. Period, full stop.
EUGENE DANIELS: Leader Jeffries, also this week, the Epstein Files that has continued to beleaguer this president, has continued be something that the American people want answers on. In Congress, there's some upcoming depositions. On February 9, Ghislaine Maxwell is going to testify. February 26, Hillary Clinton. February 27, Bill Clinton. Richard Kahn is on March 11. He's a co-executive of the Epstein estate. The other co-executive of the state, Darren Indyke, on March 19. You are the Leader, I assume you're talking to the folks that will be having these conversations with them. What are Democrats looking to gain in these conversations, both from the folks that are on the Epstein side, but also the, you know, President Bill Clinton, who is in quite a few photos with Epstein?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, Robert Garcia, and the Oversight Committee Dems will continue to take the lead on this issue. But collectively, what we're trying to achieve is transparency and accountability. Those are the demands that have so courageously been made by the Epstein survivors. And those are the demands that we are trying to bring to life, because that's the American way. And the question for the administration will continue be, what are you hiding from the American people? And who are you protecting? This was a horrible situation that should never be allowed to happen again. And one of the ways to make sure that that happens, that occurs, that we don't see this ever happen again in the United States of America, is for there to be transparency and accountability. That also means releasing the other three million documents that the Department of Justice continue to hide from the American people.
JACKIE ALEMANY: Leader, as you're well aware, calling in former President Bill Clinton is setting a pretty remarkable precedent. Do you think that your cohorts who are leading the House Oversight Committee and the House Judiciary Committee should move to call in President Trump to testify? After all, he is mentioned thousands of times throughout the Epstein Files.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Yeah, this is one of the reasons why we can't take seriously what James Comer and the Republicans on the other side of the aisle are doing as it relates to trying to get to the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, which has been the objective of Democrats and a handful of Republicans every step of the way. We should hear from President Trump about what he knows, if they're demanding that Bill Clinton come in, if they're demanding that Secretary Hillary Clinton come in, and they have no connection that they can point to related to why she should be brought into Congress. And now these people are actually refusing to have that testimony be public, which the Clintons are saying they prefer, which again exposes the fact that our Republicans are just trying to distract the American people as it relates to what may be in those files, and the culpability and connection and accountability to rich and powerful people, including but certainly not limited to the President of the United States.
EUGENE DANIELS: Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, thank you so much for joining us this morning.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Thank you.
Full interview can be watched here.