Speaking to reporters, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) slammed Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH).
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00:00 The time is now.
00:01 Choose a bipartisan path forward.
00:04 - Pete Aguilar.
00:05 - Pete Aguilar.
00:06 - Jim Jordan has failed at every vote,
00:08 and he's gonna continue to fail.
00:10 House Democrats are united behind Leader Jeffries.
00:14 We want a path forward.
00:15 We wanna make sure that we're doing everything we can
00:18 to meet the needs of the American public.
00:20 Two objectives this week for House Democrats.
00:23 One is to make sure Jim Jordan does not get close
00:25 to the Speaker's chair.
00:27 And the second is to reopen the House of Representatives.
00:30 We still have work to do, but we're gonna do it.
00:33 We're gonna do it together.
00:34 We're gonna advocate for a bipartisan path forward
00:37 and continue that discussion until we open up the chamber.
00:40 - Leader Jeffries, it seems like a bipartisan path forward
00:42 is what you're talking about,
00:44 but in our conversations with Republicans, it sounds dead.
00:46 What makes you think that there's a reason
00:48 for it to be revived?
00:49 - Well, there are still reasonable Republicans
00:52 over on the other side of the aisle,
00:53 as I've repeatedly said, good men and women
00:56 who want the House reopened,
00:57 who want the Congress to function.
00:59 And what we've said is we just want a House
01:02 that allows for bipartisan bills
01:06 that benefit the American people,
01:07 not Democrats or Republicans, the American people.
01:10 We want a House that allows for bipartisan bills
01:14 to receive up or down votes,
01:17 that will receive the majority of members
01:20 on both sides of the aisle,
01:21 but are being blocked right now by the extremists.
01:24 - What do you say?
01:24 What do you say?
01:25 Do you want all of your people here this weekend
01:27 to continue to block Mr. Jordan,
01:29 that you have enough votes,
01:30 every single roll call vote this weekend?
01:32 - We recognize that Jim Jordan is a clear
01:35 and present danger to the American people,
01:39 and we are gonna be here for as long as it takes
01:42 to end this national nightmare.
01:43 - Leader Jeffries, would you work with any moderate
01:44 Republicans who would be willing to partner with you
01:47 on a speaker candidate?
01:48 - It's a question you should ask them.
01:49 - Leader Jeffries, at this point,
01:51 would you ever vote for Patrick McHenry on the floor?
01:56 - I've said repeatedly that there are many Republicans
02:00 on the other side of the aisle who we believe
02:02 are good Americans, good patriots, good men and women.
02:05 Patrick McHenry is one of them.
02:07 There are others.
02:08 - Sir, have you spoken directly
02:09 with any of your Republican colleagues
02:11 about a bipartisan path forward?
02:12 - I haven't spoken directly with Patrick McHenry.
02:15 - What do you say to those who believe Democrats
02:18 are to blame for the situation that we're in,
02:20 since you all voted with those eight Republicans
02:23 to oust McCarthy?
02:25 - Well, the job of the House Republicans
02:30 is to elect a speaker who can get to 218 votes
02:35 and to sustain a speaker at 218 votes.
02:40 That is the job of the majority,
02:43 from the very beginning of the Republic, going back to 1789.
02:49 And by the way, who created Jim Jordan?
02:52 Who normalized Jim Jordan?
02:56 Who was about to nominate--
02:58 - But he was gonna be a candidate
02:59 for General McCarthy-- - Who was about to nominate
03:01 Jim Jordan, that's clear.
03:03 - And are you okay if they were to go ahead
03:05 and elect a speaker pro tem, as they did in the early '60s
03:08 after Speaker Ray Burns of the House could operate?
03:11 I mean, that's what you're saying here,
03:12 that that type of option is on the table
03:14 and that's something you'd be okay with
03:15 because of the-- - What we're saying
03:16 is that all options are on the table
03:19 to get the House back open
03:21 so we can do the business of the American people.
03:23 - If every Democrat-- - If every Democrat--
03:25 - Conversation, is McHenry the only name
03:27 that's in that conversation? - No.
03:29 - Who are the other names that you're,
03:30 is it Steve Womack, are there other names?
03:32 Can we just kind of get into detail?
03:34 - I think you've gotta ask the other side of the aisle
03:35 who they're willing to put forward.
03:37 - If you guys went to, if every Democrat went to the floor
03:40 and they voted for a Republican today,
03:42 you could probably find a handful of Republicans
03:45 who would join you organically in that moment.
03:47 Would you take that step today?
03:49 - Voted for a Republican to be Speaker of the House?
03:51 - Yes. - We'd have to have
03:52 a real conversation about what that would look like.
03:54 - Is that a challenge because your side,
03:55 obviously there are some on your side
03:57 who just have such antipathy for Republicans
03:59 that they could not potentially do that at all?
04:01 - No, let's be clear, let's be clear.
04:02 We have said repeatedly for the last two weeks
04:06 that we are ready, willing, and able
04:07 to find a bipartisan path forward,
04:09 to enter into a partnership with our Republican colleagues
04:13 to reopen the House, to get the business
04:15 of the American people done,
04:16 to solve problems for hardworking American taxpayers.
04:20 We just need some traditional Republicans to join us.
04:23 Instead of rejecting bipartisanship,
04:26 they need to stop embracing extremism.
04:32 - What are the concessions that you're gonna want?
04:34 - Is there any scenario where you think
04:36 you could be Speaker right now
04:37 that you have the most votes?