Hakeem Jeffries blasts Rep Randy Fine as a 'disgusting and unrepentant bigot' over hateful post

WASHINGTON, DC: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) on Tuesday, February 17, issued a statement condemning Florida Representative Randy Fine and labeling him an "unrepentant bigot" following Fine's social media comments regarding Muslims and dogs.

Jeffries called the Republican lawmaker a "disgrace," slammed House Republicans for their silence on the matter, and warned that Fine would be held accountable if Democrats win control of the House in the upcoming elections. 

Hakeem Jeffries condemns Randy Fine remarks

In a statement on Tuesday, Hakeem Jeffries called Randy Fine "disgusting and unrepentant bigot."

The conflict began after Palestinian-American activist Nerdeen Kiswani posted about the status of dogs as pets on X. She wrote, "Finally, NYC is coming to Islam. Dogs definitely have a place in society, just not as indoor pets. Like we've said all along, they are unclean."

Fine responded by stating, “If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one.”

Jeffries argued that this kind of rhetoric encourages hate crimes and xenophobia against the Muslim community. He made it clear that "House Democrats will not let the racist and bigoted behavior of Randy Fine go unchecked."

Hakeem Jeffries blasts GOP silence on Randy Fine

Jeffries also criticized Republican leaders for staying silent about the situation. He stated, "It is unacceptable that Mike Johnson and House Republicans continue to remain silent."

He said that by not speaking up, they are allowing this "out-of-control behavior" to continue. He added, "Republican leaders must hold this so-called Member of Congress accountable."

Jeffries promised that things would change soon, stating that "Accountability is coming to all of these sick extremists when the gavels change hands in November, if not sooner."

He said it is the responsibility of Republican leadership to stop their members from using such divisive and hateful language.

Randy Fine doubles down amid backlash

Even though many people from both political parties condemned his remarks, Randy Fine did not retract them. During a subsequent appearance on NewsNation, Fine was confronted about the post and asked whether he wished to clarify or retract the statement, but he chose to double down instead.

He told the interviewer that "if they’re gonna make us choose between our dogs and them going home, the choice is easy" and stood by his original comment.

His refusal to apologize led Hakeem Jeffries to call him "unrepentant" and a "disgrace to the United States Congress."