Democratic Leader Hakeen Jeffries Triggers Renewed Debate Over Rage Rhetoric – JONATHAN TURLEY

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., triggered an outcry this week with his call for Democrats to fight President Donald Trump’s agenda “in the streets.” The incendiary language came not long after a man, Ryan Michael “Reily” English, was arrested at the Capitol with a knife and Molotov cocktails. According to court filings, English was allegedly targeting House Speaker Mike Johnson, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Notably, Jeffries has been one of the loudest voices condemning President Donald Trump for his own rhetoric, including calling on supporters to fight against election fraud and the 2020 election certification.

Jeffries reportedly declared “We are gonna fight it legislatively. We are gonna fight it in the courts. And we’re gonna fight it in the streets.”

Frankly, in light of the claims that Republicans are Nazis and plotting to overthrow democracy, the comment seems almost restrained in comparison.

Those narratives have far greater influence on figures like English, who likely dwell in the echo chamber of MSNBC and other outlets that have predicted the imminent demise of democracy.

Notably, English used the same Nazi rhetoric that is common on liberal sites. The FBI statement recounted:

“With respect to the ENGLISH’s arrest on January 27, 2025, ENGLISH admitted to leaving ENGLISH’s phone at home for surveillance purposes. ENGLISH left ENGLISH’s home in Massachusetts on Sunday, January 26, 2025, again leaving ENGLISH’s phone behind for surveillance purposes, and traveled to the District of Columbia with the intention of killing what ENGLISH referred to as “Nazi” Secretary of Defense, Peter Hegseth, and/or the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, and/or burning down the Heritage Foundation, “two blocks from the White House.” These actions were specifically to “depose” these political offices and send a message. ENGLISH admitted to buying an atlas a month ago to navigate ENGLISH’s way to the District of Columbia, given ENGLISH would not have a phone with GPS capability. ENGLISH further admitted that ENGLISH wore clothes to conceal ENGLISH’s appearance when purchasing the atlas and paid cash for the atlas.”

While the media often focuses on right-wing extremists, there have been repeated attacks from the left. Both sides have used similar language in rallying their supporters.

Trump used language like going to “fight” for his cause in the protest on the Hill, but he never actually called for violence or a riot. Rather, he urged his supporters to march on the Capitol to express opposition to the certification of electoral votes and to support the challenges being made by some members of Congress. He expressly told his followers “to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.” Those words were routinely edited out of the clips by the January 6th committee.

The media has maintained the one-sided narrative on both political violence and violent rhetoric.

The Democrats often raise the Jan. 6th riot and it is important to acknowledge that the damage extended to an attack on our constitutional process. However, the preceding protest around the White House caused more injuries and more property damage. Then President Trump had to be removed to a safe location as the Secret Service feared a breach of the White House. There were a reported 150 officers injured (including at least 49 Park Police officers around the White House) in the Lafayette Park riot. Protesters caused extensive property damage including the torching of a historic structure and the attempted arson of St. John’s Church.

Mass shootings by leftist gunmen have repeatedly occurred, but those are treated as one-offs, while any conservative shooter is part of a pattern of right-wing violence.

Keith Ellison, the Democratic attorney general of Minnesota, even mocked the notion of liberal violence. In one tweet, he declared  “I have never seen @BernieSanders supporters being unusually mean or rude. Can someone send me an example of a ‘Bernie Bro’ being bad. Also, are we holding all candidates responsible for the behavior of some of their supporters? Waiting to hear.”

Republican Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana replied dryly: “I can think of an example.” Scalise was severely wounded at the 2017 shooting at a congressional baseball game practice by a Sanders supporter.

Ellison was a particularly ironic Democratic politician to repeat this mantra. When he was the Democratic National Committee deputy chair, Ellison praised Antifa, a violent anti-free speech group that regularly attacks conservatives, pro-lifers, and others.

Ellison said Antifa would “strike fear in the heart” of Trump. This was after Antifa had been involved in numerous acts of violence and its website was banned in Germany.

Ellison’s son, Minneapolis City Council member Jeremiah Ellison, declared his allegiance to Antifa in the heat of the protests this summer. When confronted about Antifa’s violence, then House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler denied that the group existed. Likewise, Joe Biden has dismissed objections to Antifa as just “an idea.”

Figures like Rep. Dan Goldman (D., N.Y.) have called for Trump to be “eliminated.” (He later apologized after triggering an outcry).

Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., in 2018 encouraged her supporters to fight back against the Trump administration: “Let’s make sure we show up whenever we have to show up. And if you see anybody from that cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd and you push back on them and you tell them they’re not welcomed anymore, anywhere.”

The point is not that Jeffries is encouraging violence. I do not believe that. The point is the hypocrisy in the condemnation of such rhetoric in others while fueling anger among your own followers.

Previously, Jeffries went on MSNBC to denounce “the type of violence that we saw on January 6th because of the extreme rhetoric that is coming from many right-wing ideologues in this country.”

I have criticized what I have called the “rage rhetoric” on both sides for years. Once again, I am more concerned with the type of rhetoric repeated by figures like English. If you tell viewers every night that democracy is dying and the Nazis are coming, a certain percentage will believe it and take violent action. It is that small percentage of unstable individuals who end up trying to assassinate Justice Brett Kavanaugh or massacre Republican members playing softball.

The thing about rage is that it allows you to ignore the conduct of your own allies. It gives a license to ratchet up the rhetoric. It also can produce absurd moments. One such moment was captured when Sen. Bernie Sanders (I, Vt.) confronted Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and demanded to know: “Are you supportive of the onesies!”  It appears we have gone from supporting Commies to supporting onesies; from the Red Scare to the Bed Scare.

Notably, Sanders’ apparel alarm did not extend to the Antifa onesies that were the rage during the holidays with shoppers on the left.

Whether it is using “fight” rhetoric or buying onesies, the outrage tends to be forced and one-sided.

Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro professor of public interest law at George Washington University and the author of “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage.”

 

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