Rep. Hakeem Jeffries railed against President Trump on Tuesday after the president accused Democrats of treasonous behavior for not clapping during his State of the Union speech.
“Treason is not a laughing matter. It is a serious crime embedded in the constitution, punishable by death,” Mr. Jeffries, New York Democrat, said on the House floor.
He then launched into a tirade about the ongoing Russia investigation into Mr. Trump’s campaign and pointed to charges against former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI during the investigation last year.
“Is it treason for a presidential campaign to meet with a hostile foreign power to sell out our democracy and rig the election? Is it treason for your former national security advisor to be a Russian asset sitting at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, doing the bidding of Vladimir Putin? How dare you lecture us about treason,” Mr. Jeffries questioned.
Mr. Trump used the word “treasonous” during a speech in Ohio on Monday about the behavior of the Democrats in Congress during his address last week.
“Somebody said treasonous, yeah I guess why not,” Mr. Trump said during the speech.
Most Democrats did not react to any part of the speech, in either a positive or a negative way, even during parts the president said were meant to be unifying.
• Sally Persons can be reached at spersons@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.