Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) took aim Thursday at his House colleague Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) over the MAGA lawmaker’s latest "racist comment targeting House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY)."
“Demonizing Leader Hakeem Jeffries as ‘Jihadi Jeffries’ is a racist comment from a rancid man,” Torres wrote Thursday in a social media post on X. “I with stand with the Democratic Leader in condemning with moral clarity both anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim bigotry.”
Late Wednesday night, Fine referred to Jefferies as “Jihadi Jefferies,” and called his House Democratic colleagues the “Hamas Caucus” due to what he said was the party’s rhetoric against mass deportations, arguing that the rhetoric incited violence against Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
Jeffries has never endorsed violence against ICE agents, however, he has been critical of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation policy, particularly in how it’s carried out through raids of masked officers that don’t properly identify themselves.
“Every single ICE agent who is engaged in this aggressive overreach and are trying to hide their identities from the American people will be unsuccessful in doing that,” Jeffries said back in June.
Fine is no stranger for sparking controversy with his comments. Regarding the Israel-Gaza conflict, Fine wrote in 2023 “may the streets of Gaza overflow with blood,” and in response to a photo of a Palestinian infant buried in rubble, wrote on X “thanks for the pic!”
“As for Congressman Randy Fine, suffice it to say he is not the brightest bulb in the chandelier,” Torres continued. “If there is one thing worth hating, it’s not race or religion. It’s willful stupidity.”
Demonizing Leader Hakeem Jeffries as “Jihadi Jeffries” is a racist comment from a rancid man.
I with stand with the Democratic Leader in condemning with moral clarity both anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim bigotry.
As for Congressman Randy Fine, suffice it to say he is not the… pic.twitter.com/mw8Uh9Po1U
— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) July 10, 2025