RJC Demands Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries Explain His Lies, Defense of Antisemite Uncle and Louis Farrakhan

Washington, DC – The Republican Jewish Coalition released the following statement from National Chairman Senator Norm Coleman and CEO Matt Brooks:

As CNN reported this week: for years, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries lied about having only a "vague recollection" of his uncle Leonard Jeffries’ nauseating antisemitism.

The disgusting remarks Leonard Jeffries made include: comparing Jews to "dogs" and "skunks", saying that "rich Jews" financed the slave trade, and saying that Jewish Hollywood executives "planned and plotted and programmed" a conspiracy to denigrate Black Americans in films. At the time, these statements were widely condemned, including by the ADL, former New York Governor Mario Cuomo, and former New York City Mayor David Dinkins.

But not by Hakeem Jeffries. Not only was Minority Leader Jeffries well aware of his uncle’s vile antisemitism, he invited his uncle to speak on the campus of Binghamton University – and after Jewish student groups protested the visit, Jeffries led a press conference in support of his uncle, and also penned an editorial where he forcefully defended his antisemite uncle and notorious bigot Louis Farrakhan, writing:

"Dr. Leonard Jeffries and Minister Louis Farrakhan have come under intense fire. Where do you think their interests lie? Dr. Jeffries has challenged the existing white supremacist educational system and long standing distortion of history. His reward has been a media lynching complete with character assassinations and inflammatory erroneous accusations."

Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries owes the Jewish community an explanation as to why he lied and attempted to cover up his defense of these revolting antisemites.

The added hypocrisy here is particularly jarring: Jeffries recently falsely accused Republicans of not wanting to teach children about the Holocaust, but he’s been exposed as defending antisemites who have said Hitler was a "great man" and called Judaism a "dirty religion."

Unfortunately, this is yet another disturbing data point of the Democratic Party embracing and promoting antisemites, from Leonard Jeffries and Louis Farrakhan to Ilhan Omar.