Top Dem’s tweet calling 2016 election 'illegitimate' resurfaces amid opposition to Speaker Johnson

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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., is facing criticism for referring to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., as an "election denier" despite claiming in 2018 that the 2016 election of Donald Trump was "illegitimate."

"The twice-impeached former president ordered House Republicans to stop Tom Emmer and elevate a top election denier," Jeffries posted on X in response to Johnson, who Democrats have linked to Trump’s rejection of the 2020 election results, being nominated and elected to serve as House speaker. 

"Is anyone surprised that they complied?"

Some on social media have pointed to a social media post in 2018 where Jeffries himself denied the legitimacy of the 2016 presidential election.

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Representative Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat from New York, speaks to members of the media with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"The more we learn about the 2016 election the more ILLEGITIMATE it becomes," Jeffries posted in 2018 amid the widely discredited allegation that Trump colluded with Russia to win the presidency. "America deserves to know whether we have a FAKE president in the Oval Office. #RussiaInterference."

Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, one of the most prominent advocates of the Russia collusion narrative, also called Johnson an "election denier" on social media. 

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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Thursday, Feb. 2. (AP/Jose Luis Magana)

"This guy is such a fraud," NRCC Communications Director Jack Pandol posted on X  about Jeffries.

"Hakeem Jeffries wrote the book on Election Denial," an account belonging to the Republican National Committee posted on X along with several screenshots of Jeffries questioning the 2016 election results.

"Hakeem Jeffries pushed the falsehood that 2016 was illegitimate and stolen by Russia on behalf of Donald Trump," pollster Richard Baris posted on X. "Almost every single elected Democratic lawmaker pushed it and all leaders past and present did."

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GOP Rep. Mike Johnson (Elizabeth Elkind / Getty Images)

Others on social media pointed to the several other top Democrats, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who questioned the Trump election and scolded the media for questioning Rep. Johnson more intensely.

"Nancy Pelosi took to the House floor to contest the outcome of an election won by a GOP president," CPAC Chair Matt Schlapp posted on X. "No reporter ever called her an election denier. Stop watching and reading the leftist media which is 95% of it. Ending it will lift your spirit as the Truth will set you free."

Fox News Digital reached out to the office of Rep. Jeffries for comment and did not receive a response.

Schiff's office pointed Fox News Digital to a 2017 interview where he discussed his objection to the 2016 election.

"I think it unquestionably had it, had an influence on the election," Schiff said. "It influenced the election by millions and millions of Americans seeing Russian content on social media pushed out by the Kremlin. It had an effect in that the Russians were dumping emails that forced Hillary Clinton on a daily basis to have to defend herself and the campaign, and it changed the topic of the conversation on the campaign trail."