House Democrats delete tweets attacking each other, pledge to unify

Leaders of House Democratic factions riven by weeks of infighting pledged to unify on Thursday, with each side deleting recent social media posts attacking each other.

In a joint statement issued Thursday, House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.), Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Pramila Jayapal (Wash.) and Mark Pocan (Wis.), New Democrat Coalition Chairman Rep. Derek Kilmer (Wash.) and Blue Dog Coalition Chairwoman Rep. Stephanie Murphy (Fla.) downplayed recent divisions over strategy and policy priorities.

{mosads}“House Democrats are a diverse, robust and passionate family. We love our country and are dedicated to making life better for everyday Americans. At times, there may be different perspectives on the way forward. That is a hallmark of the legislative process,” the joint statement reads. 

“We will remain clear-eyed with respect to our unity of purpose. Every single voice within the House Democratic Caucus is an important one. We have a shared mission. Onward and upward. Together, House Democrats will deliver For The People,” the statement continues.

Tweets sent in recent weeks by Pocan and the Democratic Caucus official Twitter account were deleted as of Thursday as part of the joint effort to move past their recent internal squabbles.

Tensions have been simmering from an emotional debate over legislation in late June to provide resources for agencies handling the flow of migrants at the southern border and establish stricter standards for holding facilities. Centrists in the Problem Solvers Caucus urged Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to take up a bipartisan Senate bill that passed the upper chamber overwhelmingly, but progressives didn’t think it went far enough to ensure humanitarian standards for migrants in government custody.

When House Democrats ultimately caved and took up the Senate bill, Pocan tweeted: “Since when did the Problem Solvers Caucus become the Child Abuse Caucus? Wouldn’t they want to at least fight against contractors who run deplorable facilities? Kids are the only ones who could lose today.”

A spokesman for Pocan confirmed that the tweet had been deleted.

Pelosi last week urged Democrats not to attack each other publicly on social media and clarified a day later that her message was in response to a tweet from Saikat Chakrabarti, chief of staff for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). 

“Our members took offense at that,” Pelosi said at a press conference. “I addressed that.” 

Last Friday, the official House Democratic Caucus account called out the chief of staff for a weeks-old tweet arguing the votes from freshman Rep. Sharice Davids (D-Kan.), one of the first Native American women elected to Congress who flipped a GOP-held seat last fall, “enable a racist system.” Chakrabarti’s tweet has since been deleted. 

“Who is this guy and why is he explicitly singling out a Native American woman of color?” read the message from the House Democratic Caucus Twitter account, borrowing a phrase from Ocasio-Cortez, who last week accused Pelosi of engaging in a “persistent singling out” of women of color.

“She is a phenomenal new member who flipped a red seat blue… Keep her name out of your mouth,” the tweet added. 

Chakrabarti pushed back on Friday and said his tweets were meant to draw attention to “terrible border funding bill that 90+ Dems opposed.”

“Our Democracy is literally falling apart. I’m not interested in substance-less Twitter spats,” Chakrabarti added. 

Ocasio-Cortez’s office declined to comment on Thursday. Chakrabarti’s tweets defending himself from the Democratic Caucus tweet last week remained visible on his account as of Thursday afternoon.

Jeffries previously stood by the caucus account tweet, telling reporters on Tuesday that “the tweet speaks for itself.”

When asked if the official caucus Twitter account would be used to call out individual lawmakers and aides going forward, Jeffries replied: “The House Dem Caucus will continue to highlight the efforts by members to work on the kitchen-table, pocket-book issues that are important to the American people.”

Democrats have been trying to unite this week after Trump attacked Ocasio-Cortez and her three closest allies, Reps. Ilhan Omar (Minn.), Rashida Tlaib (Mich.) and Ayanna Pressley (Mass.), by suggesting in a series of tweets that they “go back” to their countries.

All House Democrats voted on Tuesday to pass a resolution to condemn Trump’s tweets as racist.