- Contrary to a claim circulating via social media posts, there’s no evidence that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries explicitly threatened to withhold committee assignments from House members and members-elect who don’t support his bid for speaker when Democrats take control of the legislative body in January.
- This rumor stemmed from Ohio Democratic Rep.-elect Don Leonard’s comments about a dinner with senior Democratic representatives who allegedly warned Leonard that his life could become a “living hell” if he didn’t support Jeffries. Leonard later told TMZ that potential consequences could include withheld committee assignments, but he framed it as a possibility as to what that “living hell” may entail.
- Snopes will update this report if we receive replies to our queries from either Leonard or Jeffries.
After Democrats won control of Congress in the 2026 midterms, a claim spread online that U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries was threatening to withhold committee assignments for any of his caucus members who didn’t support him for speaker of the House.
The rumor circulated on X and Threads, and Snopes readers wrote in to ask us to verify it.
This claim originated from Ohio Democratic Rep.-elect Don Leonard’s comments about “friendly advice with very stark consequences” he allegedly received from senior House Democrats in regard to supporting Jeffries’ bid for speaker. Social media posts appear to have taken Leonard’s comments somewhat out of context. There’s no evidence that Jeffries has literally threatened to withhold committee assignments from anyone who does not support him as speaker.
Jeffries and Leonard’s offices did not immediately return requests for more information. Here’s what we know:
Leonard’s allegations
Leonard, an Ohio Democrat who flipped a Republican-held seat, posted a video on
Leonard says in the video that he will not support Jeffries as speaker without the New York Democrat’s commitments to two issues: ending U.S. support for Israeli military actions, including the war in Iran, and a constitutional amendment that would reverse Citizens United, a Supreme Court decision that gives free-speech protections to corporate money in politics.
Here’s the transcript from that video (emphasis ours):
Tonight, I met with — we’ll call ’em senior members of the Democratic House — who told me in no uncertain terms that the decision as to whether or not I support Jeffries, regardless of his willingness to speak with me and meet the interests of my constituents on a couple of key issues: No. 1, getting a constitutional amendment to end Citizens United, and No. 2, ending U.S. support for the war in Iran, and the country, Israel, that led us into it — that that would basically mean both making my life a living hell for the next two years in Washington as well as being sure to lose my election in two years.
You know, we kinda knew this stuff was coming. It’s part of the stuff you see in the movies. It’s a whole ‘nother thing when, you know, it’s in person by people who actually care about you and are cheering for you, but expect you to wear the team jersey and, you know, be a good team player. You know, we’re searching our hearts tonight as to how we can reach Leader Jeffries and help him be a better speaker. At the end of the day, the big “D” Democratic Party needs some little “d” democracy and I’m just a stubborn SOB, so we’ll continue meeting with our fellow members of Congress and members-elect and try and see if we can build support for what we’re trying to do here. Please wish me luck. It’s getting real, y’all.
On Nov. 11, TMZ posted a video in which a reporter with the tabloid asks Leonard about his comments. In that video, Leonard expands on what “living hell” could mean and says committee assignments could be withheld. However, he also makes it clear that the conversation he was referencing did not directly involve Jeffries, nor was it meant to be threatening.
As such, it’s unclear whether anyone actually told Leonard that Jeffries would withhold committee assignments from him or any other Democrat who does not support Jeffries as speaker.
Here’s a transcript of the TMZ interview (emphasis ours):
TMZ: You’re in a room with top-level Dem officials. They say to you, “Listen, if you don’t fall in line, we’re going to make your life hell.” Walk me through what that experience was like, just on your first couple of days here.
LEONARD: It was so much less cinematic. It was actually a dinner with senior elected officials, and I let them know where my position was on the speaker, and they were offering very friendly advice with very stark consequences. It wasn’t in leadership, it wasn’t their position to do it. It was just, you know, friendly advice from future colleagues.
TMZ: It doesn’t sound that friendly. You literally said — your words — you said it was out of a movie. It sounds like something out of like “The Godfather.”
LEONARD: What’s out of a movie is the consequences of it, right? And the consequences are very real. Committee assignments will be withheld. You know, The ability to get, you know, legislation on the floor for votes will be difficult. And, you know, the ability to get support for the re-election will be a difficult case to make.
TMZ: Is this not what people criticize Trump for? It sounds very similar.
LEONARD: Yeah, I know, I think, you know, well, welcome to Washington, D.C., right? I mean, it’s — I’m not shocked, but I’m —
TMZ: Sounds a little shocking. I think you’re a little —
LEONARD: — I’m disappointed.
TMZ: Yeah, well listen. We can say — you already said what you had to say. And it’s gone viral. But I think we gotta go the next step further, here, just for Americans. Who were these people who said it to you?
LEONARD: Yeah, no, that’s how we build relationships and sustain them going forward. But I appreciate it.
TMZ: You don’t want to get in trouble, hey man, I appreciate it.
Axios reportedly asked Leonard about the conversation, per a Nov. 11 story, and he emphasized that it was a “friendly” and “well-intentioned” conversation with senior House Democrats. Here’s how he described it to Axios:
“They let me know that while we all agree on a lot of this stuff … the leader is going to pursue his message and agenda as he sees fit, and [said], ‘Don’t be insane. How could you possibly stand in the way?'”
Leonard also said he met Jeffries for the first time, per Axios, and there’s no indication it was a threatening meeting:
The Ohio Democrat said he got a chance to meet Jeffries for the first time on Tuesday and arrange for their staffers to work out a time to sit down and talk.
- “I shook his hand and I asked him for six minutes,” he said, telling Axios he wants to “look him in the eye, let him know that [I] respect his capacity as a leader … but I need something to take back to my district that shows that my party understands the magnitude of the crisis we face.”
Politico reported that California Democrat Rep. Pete Aguilar, who is running unopposed for House majority whip, said he didn’t know which Democrats Leonard was referring to.
“It’s my belief that he will be overwhelmingly selected to lead this caucus. I don’t lose any sleep over that,” Aguilar reportedly said of Jeffries. “Members could have ideas and interests, and they could have asks along the way, but the outcome is not in question.”
It’s also worth noting that Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, an outspoken progressive, told TMZ that no one has threatened her over Jeffries’ bid for speaker. Omar suggested that Leonard simply received “advice that seems intimidating” and said Congress was “like high school: If people see any weakness, they’ll roll with it, they’ll take advantage of you.”
