House Democrat Criticizes Leak of Caucus Call to Reporters: ‘Stop This Nonsense’

Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images

A House Democratic lawmaker went on Twitter to criticize people for leaking a conference call to reporters at several news outlets, which appeared to include more moderate Democrats’ criticism of socialism and left-wing policies.

“Some of my colleagues are literally live-leaking our internal Dem Caucus call right now to CNN, The Hill, NBC, Politico, etc,” wrote Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.). “I’ve gotten texts from 3 different reporters asking me to live-leak juicy details to them. No. We (Dems and the media) need to stop this nonsense.”

Huffman, in response to a critical comment, wrote that “with a smaller majority” in the House after Republicans flipped several seats, Democrats “also need a caucus that is cohesive, functional and at least somewhat unified.”

“Hard to do that when supposedly internal conversations are live-leaked so that they can be dissected & commented on out of context,” he remarked.

In the leaked call to numerous news outlets, House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) admitted that socialist messaging won’t net Democrats any victories.

“[If] we are going to run on Medicare for All, defund the police, socialized medicine, we’re not going to win,” he said, according to Politico and other news outlets. Clyburn’s office hasn’t responded to a request for comment.

In a statement to Fox News, Clyburn, a longtime ally of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, confirmed his remarks.

“My comments on today’s private Caucus call are the same sentiments I have expressed for years and publicly reiterated earlier this year,” he said. “Sloganeering, ‘Burn baby burn,’ highjacked the movement John Lewis and I helped lead in the 1960s, and slogans like ‘Defund the police’ could do the same to today’s efforts, socially and politically.” He was referring to the late Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), a former representative who was in office for decades who died earlier this year.

President Donald Trump and other GOP candidates centered their campaigns on accusing Democrats of pandering to the far-left wing of the party, citing the “defund the police” movement that arose earlier this year following George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis.

It comes as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) also said in a letter that she would be seeking reelection as House speaker.

But with her party’s majority becoming increasingly narrow, Pelosi will have to find a way to compromise on proposed bills as Republicans will likely vote in lockstep against anything deemed too far left.