Jeffries attacks Leavitt as ‘sick’ and ‘demented’ amid government shutdown

House Democratic leader attacked White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt with a series of insults on Friday.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., accused Republican officials of unfairly going after Democrats amid controversy over a swastika flag found in a Republican House lawmaker’s office this week, though the lawmaker denied he or his staff played any role. Jeffries made the comments during a press conference with reporters on the 17th day of the ongoing government shutdown.

“You have Carolyn Leavitt, and she’s sick. She’s out of control. I’m not sure if she’s just crazy, or ignorant, or a cold-blooded liar, or all of the above,” Jeffries said.

“But the idea of ​​a White House spokesperson saying that the Democratic Party is made up of terrorists, violent criminals, and illegal immigrants makes no sense, and that this is what the American people are getting from the Trump administration in the middle of a shutdown.”

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for a response.

Jeffries was asked about the swastika, which was reportedly embedded in a small American flag that was hanging on a cork board in the office of Rep. Dave Taylor, Republican of Ohio. It was first reported by a local social media reporter in Ohio who uses the X tag “The Rooster.”

Taylor said in a statement to Fox News that several offices were targeted by the flag, which he said was the work of an “anonymous group” in a coordinated opposition campaign.

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An American flag altered with a swastika in an office on Capitol Hill. (Obtained by POLITICO)

“New details have emerged from a coordinated investigation into the vile symbol that appeared in my office. Multiple Republican offices have confirmed that they were targeted by an unidentified group or individual who distributed American flags bearing a similar symbol, which were initially indistinguishable from the regular American flag with the naked eye,” Taylor said.

“After an extensive internal investigation, I am confident that no employee in this office would intentionally display such a vile image, and the flag in question was lowered immediately upon discovery of the mysterious symbol it bore.”

It is not immediately clear why the events prompted Jeffries to specifically subpoena Levitt.

Tensions have escalated on both sides as the lockdown continues, and the standoff shows no signs of slowing down.

Senate Democrats, led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., have vetoed the GOP funding bill ten times. (Reuters)

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In fact, it is expected to enter its fourth week after Senate Democrats blocked the GOP federal funding measure for a fourth time on Thursday before leaving Washington for the weekend.

Republicans last month floated a seven-week extension of fiscal year 2025 funding levels, called continuing resolution (CR), aimed at giving congressional negotiators more time to reach a long-term agreement for fiscal year 2026.

But Democrats in the House and Senate were angry at being sidelined in those talks. The majority of Democrats refuse to accept any agreement that does not include serious concessions on health care, at least an extension of Obamacare subsidies dating back to the era of the Covid-19 pandemic, which are scheduled to expire at the end of this year.

Fox News’ Chad Pergram contributed to this report.