Hakeem Jeffries Cancels Fundraiser With ‘Fox News’s Favorite Dem’

(Photo by Samuel Corum/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images)

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries canceled a fundraiser appearance with a Democratic lobbyist who has frequently appeared on Fox News to bash members of the party.

In a piece titled “Jeffries Abruptly Cancels Fundraiser With Fox News’s Favorite Dem,” The Bulwark reported on Tuesday that Jeffries was set to attend the event with corporate lobbyists from a “Trump-allied” firm called Ballard Partners. Among the lobbyists scheduled to attend was Michael LaRosa, an ex-spokesperson for former First Lady Jill Biden. Last month, LaRosa made waves by announcing his support for Republican Mike Rogers in the U.S. Senate race in Michigan against Abdul El-Sayed, who has called for an end to U.S. aid to Israel. Ballard Partners has an office in Tel Aviv.

In its scoop, The Bulwark listed several of LaRosa’s criticisms of the Democratic Party:

LaRosa frequently applauds the president’s foreign policy efforts. He’s gone out of his way to compliment Vice President JD Vance and attack New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, even signing a petition encouraging the latter to skip the recent 9/11 memorial ceremony.

LaRosa has criticized Democrats for embracing DEI policies, insisted they’d gone “silent” on Iranian protests, and argued that the party’s rhetoric is “out of control.”

“My party has been out of control with the hyperbole, the aggressive rhetoric, the Nazis, the fascists, the autocrats, all this stuff,” he declared in 2025. He has doggedly gone after far-left figures, including Hasan Piker and Graham Platner—positions that others in the party adopted as those figures became more scandalous. But he has angered Democrats by criticizing Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, whom he slammed for his ties to “big tech, healthcare, and A.I.” (and for “summering in Egypt”—not sure what he’s getting at with that one). He has encouraged voters to back the Republican in the race, Mike Rogers, in part, he explained, because he could “smell [the aftermath of 9/11] from where I was from in Pennsylvania.”

LaRosa declined to comment.

Hours after the report was published, Jeffries withdrew from the event.

“Leader Hakeem Jeffries does not plan to participate in any event hosted by Ballard next week or at any point in the future,” Jeffries spokesperson Justin Chermol told The Bulwark. “The event is not on his calendar and it is not taking place. Throughout this cycle, he has personally raised over $200 million for House Democrats and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. The average contribution to his re-election campaign is $28.00 per donation.”

After announcing his support for Rogers last month, LaRosa went on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal, where Democratic callers scolded him.

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