The Congressional Black Caucus condemned Palestinian journalist Rula Jebreal for using “openly bigoted” language after she called House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries an “AIPAC monkey” and an “errand boy.”
“To be clear, there isn’t a non-racist way to call Leader Jeffries, a Black man, a ‘monkey’ or ‘errand boy,’” the caucus said. Addressing podcast host Wajahat Ali, it added: “This is what happens when we hold ourselves to such low standards for what’s allowable in our discourse. People get comfortable being openly bigoted.”
“We have to stop platforming and trafficking in anti-Black racism, whether it’s on the political right or the left,” the group added.
Jebreal made the remarks during an appearance on Ali’s “The Left Hook” podcast while attacking Jeffries over his support for Israel. “He is a bought and paid by AIPAC monkey,” she said, immediately adding that she did not mean the comment “in a racist way.” She then described Jeffries as “basically an errand boy.”
Ali interjected that the word “monkey” carried “terrible racial connotations” when directed at a Black person. Jebreal said she had been referring to the three wise monkeys, traditionally depicted as seeing, hearing and speaking no evil.
Jonathan Chait, a staff writer at The Atlantic, argued that Jebreal’s attempted explanation left her accusation carrying an antisemitic implication. “The ‘not racist’ version is that the Black Speaker of the House is a brainless puppet of the Jews,” he wrote on X.
Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley, a prominent member of the party’s progressive wing, also condemned Jebreal’s language. “Calling Leader Jeffries or any Black man a monkey or errand boy is absolutely disgusting and unacceptable under any circumstances,” she wrote on X.
New York Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres said: “Calling a Black man a ‘monkey’ is racist. Full stop.” He accused parts of the political left of applying a double standard to Jebreal’s remarks.
