Joy Reid Defends Journalist Who Called Hakeem Jeffries an 'AIPAC Monkey'

MSNBC host Joy Reid defended Palestinian writer Rula Jebreal's use of the term "monkey" to describe House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, suggesting a "cultural disconnection" rather than racism.

On her web show over the weekend, Reid addressed a viral clip of Jebreal calling Jeffries an "AIPAC monkey" and an "errand boy" for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Reid, who referred to Jebreal as a "dear friend," framed the rhetoric as "clumsy" and stated that individuals not born and raised in the United States may not fully grasp the nuances of African-American history and the criticism of Black leaders.

"Sometimes even our friends can get it wrong," Reid said. "They can stumble over trying to make a point that maybe there's a cultural disconnection that causes that point to go askew and go awry."

Jebreal, an Israel-born Palestinian foreign policy expert and former MSNBC commentator, had made the remarks during an appearance on The Left Hook Podcast. Following criticism, Jebreal issued an apology on social media, expressing horror at how her words were perceived and stating there was "no excuse or justification" for their use.

"I am disgusted and horrified that Hakeem Jeffries is taking money from AIPAC amidst Israel's genocide in Palestine," Jebreal wrote in a tweet. "That said, a term that I used to describe him was inappropriate and offensive and should never have been used. I apologize unconditionally."

During Reid's show, Jebreal reiterated her apology, telling Reid, "I apologize for the words that were offensive, inappropriate, and should never have been used." She added, "There's no excuse or justification. I take full responsibility for- for a big mistake I made."

Multiple Democratic lawmakers, including Reps. Ayanna Pressley, Ritchie Torres, and Shontel Brown, had previously condemned Jebreal's language. The Congressional Black Caucus stated on social media, "To be clear, there isn’t a non-racist way to call Leader Jeffries - a Black man - a 'monkey' or 'errand boy.'"

Reid initially played the clip of Jebreal's remarks before bringing Jebreal and podcast host Wajahat Ali onto her show. Reid suggested to Jebreal that "if you were born here and you were African-American, it would be different - you would know that."