Democratic House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D.Y.), who previously claimed on social media that the 2016 presidential election was “illegitimate,” said the Democratic Party had no right to vote. There are no naysayers.”
Jeffries addressed lawmakers Friday after House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) was re-elected to the top House post for the 119th Congress.
“There are no election deniers on our side of the aisle,” Jeffries said in a speech on the House floor on Friday, drawing applause from Democrats in the chamber.
Despite claims by Jeffries members that they are not denying the election results, Jeffries himself said on X (formerly known as Twitter) that President-elect Trump won the 2016 election. He claimed that it was not legitimate.
Mike Johnson reelected as House speaker as threat of Republican insurrection dissipates
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D.Y.) speaks during a press conference at the Capitol on March 1, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch)
“The more we know about the 2016 election, the more illegitimate it becomes. America has a right to know if there is a fake president in the Oval Office,” Jeffries wrote in February 2018.
Jeffries made similar claims again several years later.
In a 2020 post, Jeffries wrote to Trump: “Keep pouting. History will never recognize you as the rightful president.” A screenshot of the post was shared by Nebraska Republican Rep. Don Bacon after Friday’s speaker vote.
After Trump’s 11th-hour call, Republican rebels switch votes to Johnson, pushing him over the finish line
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who ran against Trump as the Democratic candidate in 2016, also called Trump an “illegitimate president” after winning the election that year.
President-elect Trump (Rick Scutelli) speaks at America Fest in Phoenix on December 22, 2024
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“He knows he’s an illegitimate president,” Clinton said of Trump in an interview with CBS News. “The various tactics they used, from voter suppression and voter purges to hacking and false stories, made him understand that there were many reasons why the election turned out the way it did. I think so.”
Congressman Jerry Nadler (D.Y.) did not attend President Trump’s inauguration in 2017 due to his claims that the president’s office was illegitimate.
“He was legally elected, but Russian interference in the election, Russia’s attempted hacking of the election, and frankly the FBI’s interference in the election rendered his election illegal. I think I’ll put an asterisk next to his election name,” Nadler told CNN in 2017.
Furthermore, following Trump’s victory, several Democratic members of Congress challenged the results of the 2016 election in their states.
Aubrey Spady is a writer for Fox News Digital.
Source link