Exclusive: Rep. Hakeem Jeffries hit with complaint: “Why is an official account promoting a campaign account?”
We obtained an exclusive complaint that argues that Rep. Hakeem Jeffries is improperly using his X account to promote the campaign account of an incoming House Democrat.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.) improperly promoted an incoming House Democrat’s campaign Twitter from his taxpayer-funded social media account, according to a formal complaint lodged against him and obtained first by the Washington Reporter.
Weeks after Election Day, Democrat Derek Tran was certified as the winner in California’s 45th District, ousting incumbent Rep. Michelle Steel (R., Calif.). Jeffries congratulated Tran by tweeting from his government account, “Congratulations @derektranCA45 on your historic victory!”
This is impermissible campaign activity, a complaint received by the House’s Committee on Administration notes. “Why is an official account promoting a campaign account?” it reads. “Member is congratulating a campaign account on their campaign victory.”
Jeffries’s conduct is “grounds [of] possible violation of Page 2, Political and Personal Material bullet points,” the complaint reads, which include: “* Official communications should not be used for political or personal business. * No campaign content or electioneering. * No political campaign endorsements, including both positive endorsements and opposition. * No voting recommendations with respect to public elections. * No content laudatory of a Member on a personal or political basis.”
Tran took fire during his campaign for posting an image from his campaign account of a gun pointed at Steel’s head.
As of publication, Jeffries’s problematic tweet remains live.
