Ayanna Pressley says calling Jeffries a monkey or errand boy is "unacceptable under any circumstances"
Ayanna PressleyUnited States Representative for Massachusetts's 7th district, in a statement reported by theGrio
Representative Ayanna Pressley condemned Rula Jebreal's description of House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, saying that applying the words monkey or errand boy to Jeffries or to any Black man is disgusting and unacceptable regardless of circumstances. Her statement came a day after the Congressional Black Caucus issued its own condemnation.
“Calling Leader Jeffries or any Black man a monkey or errand boy is absolutely disgusting and unacceptable under any circumstances.”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Were Rula Jebreal’s remarks about Hakeem Jeffries racist?
During a September 2, 2026 appearance on The Left Hook, Rula Jebreal described House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries as a “bought and paid by AIPAC monkey” and “basically an errand boy,” while immediately denying racial intent. Jebreal later apologized for the terms. The Congressional Black Caucus and several lawmakers characterized the wording as racist, while Wajahat Ali and Joy-Ann Reid emphasized intent and surrounding context while also criticizing the language.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Collects direct responses from the Congressional Black Caucus, Representative Ayanna Pressley and Symone D. Sanders Townsend to Jebreal's description of Hakeem Jeffries. The Caucus statement and the Sanders Townsend statement are already recorded in this case; the Pressley statement is recorded here.
Before the quotation
Jebreal made the remarks on Wajahat Ali's podcast The Left Hook on September 2 and denied racial intent as she spoke. The Congressional Black Caucus condemned the language on September 4, saying there is no non-racist way to call Jeffries a monkey or errand boy.
After the quotation
Jebreal apologized unconditionally for the term on September 4 while maintaining her criticism of Jeffries over AIPAC funding. Pressley was separately the target of racist remarks by Laura Loomer in the same period, which we record as a separate case.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Pressley rejects the wording outright and forecloses any circumstance in which it would be acceptable, which is a direct condemnation of the conduct under scrutiny. The closest competing label is “Challenged the characterization”, since she is in part disputing Jebreal's accompanying claim that no racial meaning was intended. That loses because Pressley does not argue about intent at all; she condemns the words themselves as unacceptable in every circumstance, which addresses the conduct rather than its description.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Rula Jebreal
Corrections to this statement
These notices document reporting corrections, classification changes, and topic-label updates.
Reporting correction
Correction to: Statement by Ayanna Pressley
- Previous language
- Jebreal apologised unconditionally for the term on September 5 while maintaining her criticism of Jeffries over AIPAC funding.
- Corrected language
- Jebreal apologized unconditionally for the term on September 4 while maintaining her criticism of Jeffries over AIPAC funding.
We gave the wrong date for Rula Jebreal's apology. She posted it on X on Friday, September 4, and theGrio, the cited source, reports that date. The apology came before Rep. Ayanna Pressley's statement on September 5.
This corrects our account of what happened.
Collects direct responses from the Congressional Black Caucus, Representative Ayanna Pressley and Symone D. Sanders Townsend to Jebreal's description of Hakeem Jeffries. The Caucus statement and the Sanders Townsend statement are already recorded in this case; the Pressley statement is recorded here.
Jebreal apologized for the term while maintaining her political criticism of Jeffries and AIPAC.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)More from this case
Read the full caseMehdi Hasan defends Jebreal: "she is not a racist or bigot"
“Rula offered an unconditional apology... Anyone who knows Rula... knows she is not a racist or bigot.”Read statement
Symone Sanders Townsend says Jebreal's apology ignored anti-Black history
“Without acknowledging that history, that is not an apology.”Read statement
Peter Beinart calls Jebreal's language racist, defends her wider record
“Rula Jebreal used racist language to criticize Hakeem Jeffries. Her comments were clearly wrong.”Read statement
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- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Ayanna Pressley says calling Jeffries a monkey or errand boy is "unacceptable under any circumstances"
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- https://disputeindex.com/events/1062-representative-ayanna-pressley-condemned-rula-jebreal-s-description
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Ayanna Pressley says calling Jeffries a monkey or errand boy is "unacceptable under any circumstances"". First published: 2026-09-18. Last updated: 2026-09-26. https://disputeindex.com/events/1062-representative-ayanna-pressley-condemned-rula-jebreal-s-description