Pete Aguilar says calling Jeffries a monkey and an errand boy is blatantly racist and dangerous
Pete AguilarU.S. Representative for California's 33rd district and chair of the House Democratic Caucus, posting on X
Representative Pete Aguilar, chair of the House Democratic Caucus, said that calling House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries a monkey and an errand boy is blatantly racist and dangerous, and that racism in political discourse should be condemned in the strongest possible terms.
“Calling Leader Jeffries a “monkey” and an “errand boy” is blatantly racist and dangerous. Full stop. There is no place for racism anywhere in our political discourse, and it should be condemned in the strongest possible terms.”
Original post
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
Original post
About this source
Post on Rep. Pete Aguilar's X account, reproduced in Mediaite's report on lawmakers' reactions.
Reporting
About this source
Mediaite report on Democratic lawmakers' reactions to Rula Jebreal's remarks about Hakeem Jeffries. It quotes Jebreal and reproduces the lawmakers' posts on X.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Rula Jebreal called House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries a "bought and paid by AIPAC monkey" and "just basically an errand boy" in a podcast interview with Wajahat Ali, saying she did not mean it in a racist way.
After the quotation
In a statement on X, Jebreal wrote that the term she used to describe Jeffries was inappropriate and offensive and that she apologized unconditionally. The Congressional Black Caucus and other Democratic lawmakers also condemned the remark on X.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case asks whether Rula Jebreal's remarks about Hakeem Jeffries were racist. Aguilar wrote that calling Jeffries a "monkey" and an "errand boy" is blatantly racist and dangerous, and that racism in political discourse should be condemned in the strongest possible terms. That is an express judgment that the language was racist, so we labeled it Condemned.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Rula Jebreal
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
Share or embed this statement
The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Pete Aguilar says calling Jeffries a monkey and an errand boy is blatantly racist and dangerous
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/3409-representative-pete-aguilar-chair-of-the-house-democratic
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Pete Aguilar says calling Jeffries a monkey and an errand boy is blatantly racist and dangerous". First published: 2026-09-30. Last updated: 2026-09-30. https://disputeindex.com/events/3409-representative-pete-aguilar-chair-of-the-house-democratic