DPCC Co-Chair Jeffries: Republicans Are Masters of Misdirection, Manipulation and Misappropriation of Facts
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08), Co-Chair of the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee (DPCC), appeared on CNN Tonight with Don Lemon to discuss the chaos, crisis and confusion created by the Trump Administration and Washington Republicans. Jeffries described Trump's midterm election tactics as desperate acts from a desperate man who is part of a desperate political party. Despite his attempts to distract the American people, Democrats will stay focused on the issues that matter most: lowering health care costs, increasing pay and cleaning up corruption in Washington. Below is the transcript from the interview. Click here to watch the video.
"Well, I think you know these are desperate acts from a desperate man who is part of a desperate political party that understands they're on the verge of being rebuked by the American people, will likely lose the House of Representatives, will lose several Governorships across the country, and have failed to persuade the American people that total control of government by the Republican Party over the last two years with the presidency, the House or the Senate has made their life better. In fact, there are many Americans, particularly throughout suburban communities, in the battleground districts, that are playing themselves out in the race for control of the House who have concluded that our future is uncertain because all of chaos, crisis and confusion that the Trump Administration and their wholly owned subsidiaries in the House and the Senate on the Republican side of the aisle have visited upon the American people."
"Well, we'll see. That'll be up to the American people. But, I'm confident that the American people have concluded that divided government in this context is a better option because House Democrats will be able to be a check and balance on an out-of-control executive."
"Well, he's correct. I mean, the notion that Donald Trump would throw this out there, it's unclear whether he actually believes it or whether this is part of a concerted strategy to distract the American people from the issues that we as Democrats have been talking about. We've made clear we're going to fight for the people. We're going to lower health care costs. We're going to increase pay of everyday Americans. We're going to clean up corruption. He clearly wants to talk about Kavanaugh, caravans, birthright citizenship, who knows, in a day or two he'll be back attacking NFL players again because he's desperate to try to change the topic. We're not going to let that happen."
"You know, it's unclear whether they really want to do it. But, the fact that they are airing millions of dollars of ads all across the country, I think, suggests to me, that they should be held accountable for their public statements and representations to the American people. Now, I think that the American people largely are not buying it. This is the Republican Party that has taken something like 60-plus votes to repeal the Affordable Care Act, including protections for those with pre-existing conditions. That's something that we're committed to fight for, and I think the American people understand that we are the party of affordable and accessible health care for the American people."
"Well, I think, in this case, after about two years of active debate and discussion about it, the American people have a much clearer perspective on what the stakes are as it relates to Democratic control of the House of Representatives versus Republican control. Now, understand the other side of the aisle are masters of misdirection, manipulation and misappropriation of actual facts because for them, facts don't matter. Hypocrisy is not a constraint to behavior. That's why we're seeing them now have the nerve to run as if they are the guardians of pre-existing conditions. Nothing can be further from the truth. Because we've had such an active debate, because the American people have seen them attempt to take away health care from tens of millions of Americans and impose an age tax, I don't think that their trickery is going to work in the closing days of the election."