CNN’s Wolf Blitzer confronted House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) with back-to-back clips of lawmakers calling out his leadership, including a Democratic member of Congress.

Jeffries joined The Situation Room on Friday and the conversation eventually turned to progressive candidates winning various primaries, including in New York where Brad Lander and Darializa Avila Chevalier beat out incumbent Reps. Dan Goldman and Adriano Espaillat. The winning candidates were backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D).

Blitzer rolled a clip for Jeffries of Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) calling out Democratic Party leadership, including Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).

“We have literally found ourselves in a situation where we just don’t have people who understand the moment and understand what leadership means,” Slotkin told Stephen A. Smith this week.

She added that if leaders “can’t understand the game has changed” then they need to “let others lead.”

“So what do you say to Slotkin about that? Are you the right person to continue to lead the Democrats in the House? And if, in fact, the Democrats become the majority in the House, are you ready? Do you think you’re likely to be elected Speaker?” Blitzer asked Jeffries after the clip.

Jeffries said:

I have no idea what Elissa Slotkin was talking about there. Of course any Democratic leader is going to continue to stand with their colleagues. And I’m proud of the effort that was put in by both Congressman Adriano Espaillat as well as Congressman Dan Goldman, two members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. At the same period of time, I think that what happens in a handful of primaries in one of the bluest cities in the country is not in any way indicative of what needs to happen.

Jeffries predicted big wins for Democrats in the midterms and blasted Republicans as a “rubber stamp” for President Donald Trump.

Blitzer then hit Jeffries with yet another clip calling out his leadership, this time from the other side of the aisle. In the clip, Rep. James Comer (R-KY) called the elections losses in New York a “slap in the face” and “middle finger” to Jeffries.

“I want you to listen and watch, I don’t know if you saw it, what Republican Congressman James Comer said about this topic just a few moments ago. Listen to this,” Blitzer said.

Comer told reporters:

I think Democrats had a very bad week. I believe that when you’re Hakeem Jeffries and you’re trying to be the next Speaker of the House, and you lose three elections in your hometown, that’s a pretty big slap in the face. I come from Kentucky and always adhere to the attitude that you look at a candidate by how well they do in their hometown, by their friends and neighbors, and I think Hakeem Jeffries’s friends and neighbors gave him a big middle finger, and look, that’s the direction of the Democratic Party.

Jeffries responded by accusing Comer and Republicans of using the primary losses as a distraction.

“Well, I understand that Republicans are going to try to distract and change the subject. This is the same group of people. They promised to lower costs on day one. Costs haven’t gone down because of the Trump tariffs. Costs have gone up,” he said.

The congressman continued:

At the end of the day, Republican policies have been a disaster, and even though I understand that Comer and others want to try to distract the American people, what you have right now is that Donald Trump, the president, is fighting with Senate Republicans. Literally, it was a cage match in the United States Senate when he met with them. Senate Republicans are fighting with House Republicans, and House Republicans are fighting with each other, which is why they couldn’t move any meaningful legislation on the floor this week, canceled votes, and got out of town yesterday before sundown.

Watch above via CNN.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!