Protesters heckle Jeffries at a Democratic conference, demanding Medicare for All
One heckler called the House minority leader a liar and a traitor, and Jeffries said he grew up in Brooklyn.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries was heckled by protesters on Friday at the What's Next conference in Denver, a Democratic gathering held after the Nov. 3 elections. He was being interviewed by moderator Jessica Tarlov when protesters shouted demands for a Green New Deal and for All. One man called him a "f***ing liar" and a traitor and said the American people demanded .
Another told him not to let a single Democrat vote for the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act, known as BAAJA. Security escorted the hecklers out of the room. Jeffries said: "Remember, ya'll, I grew up in Brooklyn."
The conversation then continued. Democrats in plan to vote on their leadership on Nov. 18. No one has formally challenged Jeffries for the speaker nomination.
In the , Chris Van Hollen has announced a challenge to Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Fox News reports that Jeffries' office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
- more than 1.1 million signatureson a petition calling for new Democratic leadershipNewsweek
- about two minuteslength of the interruption, according to C-SPAN video as reported by The BlazeThe Blaze
Three sides of the story
9 news outlets reported this · Little coverage from liberal outlets
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Liberal2 outlets
The protesters' demands and Jeffries' path to speaker
The New Republic puts the protesters' demands first: heckled in Denver, Jeffries was told to back the Green New Deal and Medicare for All. It quotes one protester saying, "Your version of accountability is shaking hands with the Trump family!" and another asking why anyone should trust him when he is "in the pocket of corporations." It notes that BAAJA, which it says critics call a giveaway to Big Oil, was a target of the heckling.
The piece closes on his standing: he and Chuck Schumer both faced calls to step down, but only Schumer has a declared challenger, Chris Van Hollen, and Jeffries will "very likely" be the next speaker if his opposition cannot unite behind an alternative. NBC News carries the story as a 1:51 video titled "Protesters interrupt Rep. Jeffries at Democrats' 'What's Next' conference."
Center2 outlets
Heckling amid Jeffries' bid and party leadership pressure
Newsweek's headline says Jeffries was heckled "as He Vies for Speaker Role," and its report sets the scene in the party's post-midterm moment. A protester yelled "You are a f****** liar!" and shouted for more than a minute as the crowd booed. Newsweek outlines the strain on Jeffries: parts of the progressive wing have pushed back over his support for Israel and ties to AIPAC, some incoming lawmakers have stopped short of backing his speaker bid, and a petition seeking new leadership, with more than 1.1 million signatures, has produced no challenger.
It says Democrats are expected to hold leadership elections Nov. 18, where he is expected to be the overwhelming favorite, and that he would be the first Black speaker in U.S. history if the full House elects him in January. It contrasts this with Van Hollen's challenge to Schumer, which has won support from Bernie Sanders and Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed, and adds a short explainer on what the speaker does.
Conservative5 outlets
Left-wing hecklers confronting Jeffries at Democratic gathering
Fox News opens its headline with "Traitor!" and says protesters repeatedly interrupted Jeffries, shouting "When is it time for a Green New Deal?" It adds that his office did not immediately respond to a request for comment and that he is running unopposed for the speaker nomination. The Blaze headlines "unhinged leftists," calls the hecklers far-left, quotes the "traitor" and "oligarch lapdog" shouts, and says the interruption lasted about two minutes.
It also reports that James Talarico urged Democrats to work with Trump. The Post Millennial, under a headline quoting "You don't fight for the people," recounts a woman who began the heckling before a man called Jeffries a "sellout," and records Tarlov asking whether the protest was helping. The Washington Examiner reports progressive protesters, quoting a demonstrator, Nicole Shea Niebler, who says she belongs to the Sunrise Movement: "Young people delivered this blue wave."
- Fox News: 'Traitor!': Jeffries gets rude awakening at Democratic convention as heckler erupts
- The Blaze: 'You're a f***ing traitor': Hakeem Jeffries interrupted at Democrat conference — by unhinged leftists
- The Post Millennial: 'You don’t fight for the people': Hakeem Jeffries heckled by leftists at Democrat conference
- Washington Examiner: Jeffries panel disrupted by progressive protesters at post-election conference
Which side made the stronger case?
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All sources: 9 articles from 9 outlets
Liberal (2)
- NBC News: Protesters interrupt Rep. Jeffries at Democrats' 'What's Next' conference
- The New Republic: “You Are a F*cking Liar!”: Protesters Interrupt Hakeem Jeffries
Center (2)
- Newsweek: Hakeem Jeffries Heckled at Democratic Event as He Vies for Speaker Role
- The Hill: Jeffries outlines Democratic plans for Medicare expansion
Conservative (5)
- Fox News: 'Traitor!': Jeffries gets rude awakening at Democratic convention as heckler erupts
- The Blaze: 'You're a f***ing traitor': Hakeem Jeffries interrupted at Democrat conference — by unhinged leftists
- The Daily Wire: WATCH: ‘Traitor!’ Hecklers Turn On Jeffries As He Eyes Speaker’s Gavel
- The Post Millennial: 'You don’t fight for the people': Hakeem Jeffries heckled by leftists at Democrat conference
- Washington Examiner: Jeffries panel disrupted by progressive protesters at post-election conference
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