Texas Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett said talks among some donors regarding Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer are “reminiscent” of when former President Biden was “taken down” before the 2024 presidential election.
Schumer is facing backlash from within his own party after his vote in support of the Republican-proposed continuing resolution to avert a government shutdown earlier this month. Some reports have suggested “Squad” member and vocal critic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., may decide to primary Schumer for his Senate seat as a result of his vote.
Crockett stopped short of calling for Schumer to step down herself but said there are growing calls from behind the scenes similar to the ones that convinced Biden to step down.
CHUCK SCHUMER DRAWS IRE OF DEMOCRATS, LIBERAL MEDIA VOICES AFTER VOTING TO AVERT SHUTDOWN
“I’ve talked to some donors that are trying to get very creative, but I think that it is a little bit reminiscent of what we saw happen when Joe Biden was taken down,” Crockett said on CBS News Texas on Friday. “There were a lot of elected members of Congress that decided that they wanted to play in that conversation. So it’ll be interesting to see how many senators decide that they want to start engaging in that conversation.”
This was likely referencing allegations that Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was a “key figure” in the efforts to push Biden out of the presidential race despite his insistence that he could beat then-candidate Donald Trump. He eventually withdrew from the race in July.
Although Crockett was critical of Schumer’s vote, she said it was ultimately for the Senate and not House members like her to decide whether he should remain as leader of the Democratic caucus. She added that the most important issue would be finding a replacement.
“I don’t even know who wants that job,” Crockett said. “It’s a tough job to have right now.”
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Schumer has repeatedly defended his choice to support the continuing resolution and rejected any calls for him to resign or step down as minority leader.
“Look, I’m not stepping down,” Schumer said in a pre-recorded interview that aired on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. “I knew that when I cast my vote against the government shutdown that there would be a lot of controversy.”
He has argued that while voting on a Republican-backed spending bill was bad, a government shutdown would have been worse.
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