A severe political firestorm has erupted in the United States following derogatory and racist remarks made by journalist Rula Jebreal, a commentator widely known for her fierce anti-Israel commentary. During an appearance on the podcast The Left Hook, Jebreal targeted House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries—one of the most prominent and influential Black leaders in the U.S.—labeling him an “AIPAC monkey” and an “errand boy.”
The comments ignited immediate, sweeping condemnation from Democratic lawmakers and the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), who denounced the rhetoric as unequivocally racist. Facing intense public backlash, Jebreal issued a public apology for her choice of words, though she stood firmly by her political opposition to his ties with the pro-Israel lobby.
The incident occurred during an interview hosted by commentator Wajahat Ali, in a discussion focusing on U.S. support for Israel and relationships between Capitol Hill lawmakers and AIPAC, the prominent bipartisan lobby working to strengthen the U.S.–Israel alliance. Jebreal pivoted the discussion to single out Jeffries personally: “His name is Hakeem. ‘Hakeem’ is an Arabic name meaning ‘healer.’ He’s not a healer; he’s a divider. He’s a monkey bought and paid for by AIPAC. With all due respect—and I don’t mean this in a racist way. He’s basically an errand boy, and we’re tired.”
The host immediately stopped the conversation and clarified the severity of the remarks: “I know you corrected yourself, Rula, but I just want to address this. Using the word ‘monkey’ toward a Black person carries terrible racist connotations. But I think you caught yourself and said you didn’t mean it from a place of racial hostility.” In response, Jebreal tried to explain she was referring to the well-known folk expression: “I didn’t mean it. There are those three monkeys—one, I can’t hear, I can’t see, I can’t speak. It reminds me of those three monkeys.” The attempted explanation did not calm tensions and drew sharp, unequivocal condemnation from the Congressional Black Caucus: “Let’s be clear, there is no non-racist way to call Leader Jeffries—a Black man—a ‘monkey’ or an ‘errand boy.’ This is what happens when we set the bar so low for what’s acceptable in our discourse—people feel comfortable being openly racist. We must stop platforming and amplifying anti-Black racism, whether it comes from the political right or the left.”
Prominent Democratic members of Congress joined the condemnations. Congressman Joe Neguse stated: “Blatantly racist and offensive rhetoric—everyone should condemn it, from all ends of the political spectrum. Period.” Congressman Ritchie Torres attacked even more sharply and pointed to a double standard: “Calling a Black man a ‘monkey’ is racist. Period. If Wajahat Ali and Rula Jebreal were on the far right, no one on the far left would have any problem condemning them for dehumanizing a Black man using racist terms. The silence is deafening.”
After the video spread online and drew sharp public criticism, Jebreal issued a public apology statement in which she acknowledged the expression was completely inappropriate but continued to attack Jeffries’ policies: “I am disgusted and horrified that Hakeem Jeffries is taking money from AIPAC amidst Israel’s genocide in Palestine. That said, a term that I used to describe him was inappropriate and offensive and should never have been used. I apologize unconditionally.”