CBS’s Margaret Brennan accused House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) of hypocrisy over his rhetoric on election integrity.
In a tense exchange on Sunday’s Face the Nation, Brennan called out Jeffries for comments he’s made in recent days accusing President Donald Trump of trying to “rig” the 2026 election by encouraging state legislatures to gerrymander the Congressional map in Republicans’ favor.
“Donald Trump is trying to rig the midterm elections,” Jeffries said in a speech last Sunday (via Punchbowl News). “He wants to alter the congressional maps all across the country, starting in Texas, to try to rob all of you and the American people the ability to actually make the decision in a free and fair election as to who should be representing your interest in Congress.”
Brennan noted Jeffries was a vocal critic of Trump using similar language to talk about the 2020 election.
“You said, ‘Democrats- there are no election deniers on our side of the aisle,'” Brennan said. “You said that back in January. But recently, you’ve been using the term ‘rigged elections’ in reference to the upcoming midterms. Democrats were appalled when President Trump used language like that. How do you justify using that now? Doesn’t that undermine faith for voters you need to show up?
Jeffries held firm — arguing that the Republican gerrymandering effort is indeed an attempt to game the system.
“I’ve been using that term in the context of Donald Trump’s unprecedented effort to gerrymander congressional maps in a partisan fashion all across the country in order to rig the midterm elections and deny the ability of the American people to actually decide who should be in the majority as it relates to the House of Representatives,” Jeffries said. “The framers of the Constitution were very clear.
Brennan stopped Jeffries.
“You know Democrats are also going through gerrymandering and redistricting,” Brennan said — seemingly referring to efforts in California and elsewhere to secure more Democratic House seats to counter the GOP moves in Texas and other states to lock down Republican gains.
“No, no. no!” Jeffries said. “Democrats are going to push back aggressively to make sure that we have fair maps across the country, not partisan gerrymandering, which Republicans have initiated in state after state after state.”
Watch above, via CBS.