Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday tore into President Trump after he accused Democrats on Monday of “treasonous” behavior during his State of the Union address.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday tore into President Trump after he accused Democrats on Monday of “treasonous” behavior during his State of the Union address.
Jeffries said Tuesday that treason is “not a laughing matter” but rather, a “serious crime embedded in the Constitution, punishable by death.”
“But since your commander in chief chose to raise it at a political rally, let’s have a discussion about treason,” he said.
“Is it treason for a presidential campaign to meet with a hostile foreign power to sell out our democracy and rig the election?”
Jeffries further questioned whether it was treason for a presidential campaign to “meet with Russian spies who promise information that was negative about a political opponent and then fail to report that meeting to law enforcement officials.”
He appeared to be referring to a 2016 Trump Tower meeting that included Donald Trump Jr., White House adviser Jared Kushner, former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and a Russian attorney.
“How dare you lecture us about treason. This is not a dictatorship. It’s a democracy,” Jeffries said.
“And we do not have to stand for a reality show host masquerading as President of the United States.”
In a speech Monday, Trump suggested that Democrats not clapping for his address were guilty of treason.
Trump added the Democrats “would rather see Trump do badly than our country do well,” saying that was “very selfish.”
