Democratic Lawmakers Slam Journalist After She Calls Hakeem Jeffries an “AIPAC Monkey”

When Rula Jebreal appeared on Wajahat Ali’s “The Left Hook” podcast last Wednesday, she launched into a blistering tirade against House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. The former UN official accused the New York Democrat of being a puppet for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, even calling him a “bought‑and‑paid‑for AIPAC monkey.” She tried to soften the blow by adding, “with all due respect – and I don’t mean it in a racist way,” but the damage was already done.

Jeffries, who is Black, heard the slur and so did millions of listeners. Within minutes the comment was ripping through social media, and the host, Ali, scrambled to clarify. “Using ‘monkey’ for anyone Black carries terrible racial connotations,” he said on air, while Jebreal attempted to deflect, invoking the three‑wise‑monkey proverb – “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.” The explanation fell flat for many.

The Congressional Black Caucus was among the first to weigh in. In a terse statement posted to X, the caucus wrote, “There isn’t a non‑racist way to call Leader Jeffries—a Black man—a ‘monkey’ or ‘errand boy.’” They added that the incident showed how “low standards for discourse let open‑handed bigotry slip through, whether from the right or the left.”

Other Democratic lawmakers jumped on the bandwagon. Rep. Joe Neguse of Colorado called the remarks “blatantly racist and offensive,” while Rep. Ritchie Torres of New York demanded, “Calling a Black man a ‘monkey’ is racist. Full stop.” Torres noted that the silence that sometimes follows left‑leaning criticism of Israel would be deafening if the roles were reversed.

Jebreal later posted an apology on X, saying she was “disgusted and horrified” that Jeffries allegedly takes money from AIPAC amid the Gaza conflict, but that the term she used was “inappropriate and offensive” and that she apologizes “unconditionally.” Media observers, however, remained skeptical. Axia Public Relations CEO Jason Mudd told Fox News Digital that the apology felt more like a legal footnote than a genuine mea culpa, noting the pattern of reasserting the accusation before tacking on a “sorry.”

Neither Jeffries nor Jebreal responded to requests for comment from the outlet that first broke the story. What is clear, though, is that the episode has reignited a fierce debate about the boundaries of free speech, anti‑Israel activism, and anti‑Black racism inside the Democratic Party.