Jeffries slams GOP lawmaker’s push to strip some Democrats of committee assignments
By Kaanita Iyer, CNN
(CNN) — House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Thursday slammed Rep. Andy Ogles’ proposal to kick some Democrats off their committee assignments, calling the Tennessee Republican “a fraud.”
“That resolution is going nowhere,” Jeffries said in a video posted on X Thursday evening, later adding, “Andy Ogles is a fraud. A complete and total fraud. You aren’t throwing anyone off of any committee in the House of Representatives.”
“These people are malignant clowns,” Jeffries said, seemingly referring to what he called the “far-right extremists” who filed the measure — striking language from a House leader and key member of the Democratic Party.
Ogles earlier Thursday said he had filed a resolution to identify and remove from committee assignments the Democrats who sang “We Shall Overcome” on the House floor during a vote to censure Democratic Rep. Al Green.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said in an interview with Fox News on Friday that an effort to remove Green from committee assignments is “something we’ll be looking at early next week.”
“Well, I talked to Freedom Caucus members and other Republicans who are deeply concerned about this. They say we have to restore control one way or the other, and there needs to be real consequences. And it’s something we’ll be looking at early next week,” Johnson said.
CNN has reached out to Ogles’ office for comment on Jeffries’ video.
“We can disagree,” Ogles said about the Democrats’ interruption on a Facebook livestream Thursday. “But we’re still gonna treat one another with respect. And this idea that you can just disrupt the House proceedings has got to stop.”
In a separate post on X, Ogles said, “There must be accountability.”
“The American people deserve better than petty, juvenile stunts in one of the most sacred chambers of government,” he continued.
Earlier Thursday, 10 Democrats joined Republicans to censure Green, who protested and was removed during President Donald Trump’s address to Congress.
This story has been updated with additional details.
CNN’s Shania Shelton contributed to this report.
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