Briahna Joy Gray Says AOC, Zohran Mamdani 'Bend the Knee' to Hakeem Jeffries

Briahna Joy Gray, host of the Bad Faith podcast and a former national press secretary for Senator Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign, said Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani were "made to bend the knee" when they endorsed House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to lead House Democrats.

Gray made the argument in an episode with Wajahat Ali, host of The Left Hook. She said the endorsements show the Democratic Party absorbing its most popular left-wing figures rather than being moved by them. The timing matters. Democrats lead by 7.9 points in PolitiKool's polling average of the generic congressional ballot, and a House majority would put Jeffries in line to become speaker.

Briahna Joy Gray Says the Party 'Disciplines' the Left

"When the Democrats retake the House, as is expected to happen, what have our Vanguard leftists, AOC and Zohran Mamdani said, who have they said should be the leader of the House?" Gray asked.

She then made her central point, and kept going:

"When you're seeing the most popular politicians in America be made to bend the knee and endorse Hakeem Jeffries, one of the most establishment figures that America has ever known." — Briahna Joy Gray

Gray, who said on the episode that she voted Green in 2024, said politicians she once had faith in, Ocasio-Cortez among them, "have not moved the Democratic Party to the left."

Ali agreed with her on the main point. "This was a mistake when it was announced that Mamdani and AOC vouch for Hakeem Jeffries," he said. He described the endorsements as a deal between New Yorkers: "This is internal NYC politics, behind the scenes politics," adding that the message was, "all right, Hakeem, we'll help you, you help us."

What AOC and Zohran Mamdani Said About Hakeem Jeffries

"Bend the knee" is how Gray describes it. Ocasio-Cortez gave a policy reason. She said that "one of my priorities in determining and in a leader determination is securing public housing financing for New York City," and that "leader Jeffries has made his prioritization for the residents of public housing very clear."

Mamdani reaffirmed his support in late August. He told a reporter that he "continues to support Congressman Jeffries and his bid to become the leader" if Democrats win the House. That came after reports that Jeffries had met privately with Jared Kushner. Jeffries had endorsed Mamdani late in the 2025 mayoral race.

What FEC Filings Show on Hakeem Jeffries and AIPAC

Gray also said Jeffries has taken more money from AIPAC than anyone else in the House. The filings support part of that. FEC records for AIPAC's PAC, which mostly passes along contributions that donors earmark for specific candidates, show $939,360 going to Jeffries' campaign committee in the 2024 cycle. That was more than any other sitting House member received that cycle.

Two candidates who were challengers at the time each received more: Wesley Bell of Missouri and George Latimer of New York. Both defeated Squad members in primaries and now sit in the House. In the 2026 cycle, Bell again leads House recipients with about $2.3 million. (Gray also said Jeffries calls Israel New York's "sixth borough." At AIPAC's 2020 conference he said, "we consider Jerusalem to be the sixth borough," Middle East Eye reported.)

How Hakeem Jeffries Has Answered on AIPAC, Medicare for All and ICE

Ali has pressed Jeffries directly. In an earlier appearance on The Joy Reid Show, a clip of which Gray aired, Ali asked whether Democrats should stop taking AIPAC money. Jeffries said he would keep raising money as he has, and he pointed to an average contribution of $27.

In the same appearance, Ali urged Jeffries to back abolishing ICE. "I'm gonna use the language that I wanna use; you can use the language that you wanna use," Jeffries answered, The New Republic reported. He favored the language of reform instead.

Asked about Medicare for All on NBC's Meet the Press on August 16, Jeffries said, "It's not legislation that I currently am co-sponsoring or that I support."

What Happens Next

House Democrats will choose their leader after the November election. Gray said Chris Rabb and other progressives she named have not said Jeffries should be speaker. Ali said he wants "someone to come out and say Hakeem is not the guy."

Ali, who still backs Democrats as a matter of harm reduction, told Gray, "you and I actually are more in agreement than disagreement." Their split is mainly over whether to vote for Democrats on those grounds, which Gray argued leaves the party with no incentive to change.