House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., launched a series of personal attacks against White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Friday, calling her “sick,” “out of control,” and “demented” during a heated press conference in Washington, as reported by Fox News.

The remarks came on day 17 of the ongoing federal government shutdown as Jeffries accused the Trump administration and Republican leaders of using inflammatory rhetoric against Democrats.

“You’ve got Karoline Leavitt, who’s sick. She’s out of control. And I’m not sure whether she’s just demented, ignorant, a stone-cold liar, or all of the above,” Jeffries told reporters.

“But the notion that an official White House spokesperson would say that the Democratic Party consists of terrorists, violent criminals, and undocumented immigrants makes no sense, that this is what the American people are getting from the Trump administration in the middle of a shutdown.”

JUST IN: Hakeem Jeffries calls Karoline Leavitt “sick, she’s out of control…demented, ignorant, a stone cold liar, or all of the above.”

Every single one of those words apply to Hakeem, not Karoline.

He’s flailing.pic.twitter.com/yOgNYdZS6j

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 17, 2025

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Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment following Jeffries’ remarks.

The exchange occurred as Jeffries fielded questions about a recent controversy involving a swastika that was reportedly found embedded in a small American flag pinned to a cork board inside the office of Rep. Dave Taylor, R-Ohio.

The image was first reported by a local Ohio social media user who goes by “The Rooster” on X.

A friend in DC had a Zoom call with Congressman Dave Taylor’s office today…

Taylor’s legislative correspondent, Angelo Elia, had what can only be described as an American swastika flag prominently displayed in his background. pic.twitter.com/zFn3QowS0c

— The Rooster (@rooster_ohio) October 15, 2025

Taylor denied any involvement by his staff, saying the flag had been placed in his office without their knowledge. “New details have emerged from a coordinated investigation into the vile symbol that appeared in my office,” Taylor said in a statement to Fox News.

“Numerous Republican offices have confirmed that they were targeted by an unidentified group or individual who distributed American flags bearing a similar symbol, which were initially indistinguishable from an ordinary American flag to the naked eye.”

Taylor added, “After a full-scale internal investigation, I am confident that no employee of this office would knowingly display such a despicable image, and the flag in question was taken down immediately upon the discovery of the obscured symbol it bore.”

It remains unclear why Jeffries invoked Leavitt specifically in his comments, as neither she nor the White House had made public statements directly connected to the incident involving Taylor’s office.

The dispute unfolded as tensions between Democrats and Republicans continue to escalate over the government funding impasse. Senate Democrats blocked a GOP-backed federal funding proposal for the fourth time on Thursday before leaving Washington for the weekend.

Republicans had proposed a seven-week continuing resolution to extend fiscal year 2025 funding levels while negotiations continued for a longer-term fiscal year 2026 agreement.

Democrats have resisted the measure, demanding additional healthcare provisions, including an extension of pandemic-era Obamacare subsidies set to expire at the end of 2025.

The standoff is expected to continue into its fourth week as both parties remain divided over spending priorities.

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