UPDATE - US House minority leader slams Rep. Randy Fine as Islamophobic 'bigot'

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By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - US House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries slammed Rep. Randy Fine on Tuesday over recent remarks he made about Muslims.

"Randy Fine is a disgrace to the United States Congress. He is an Islamophobic, disgusting and unrepentant bigot," Jeffries said in a statement.

The condemnation came after comments made by Fine over the weekend.

"If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one," the Florida Republican wrote on the US social media company X’s platform Sunday, responding to a statement by Palestinian-American activist Nerdeen Kiswani that dogs "definitely have a place in society, just not as indoor pets" because "they are unclean."

Jeffries also criticized House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Republicans for continuing to remain silent, calling it "unacceptable."

"Their casual acceptance of hateful and divisive language enables this out-of-control behavior. Republican leaders must hold this so-called Member of Congress accountable," he said.

The Democratic leader noted that political violence, xenophobia and hate crimes against the Muslim community are on the rise.

"House Democrats will not let the racist and bigoted behavior of Randy Fine go unchecked. Accountability is coming to all of these sick extremists when the gavels change hands in November, if not sooner," he stressed, referring to the 2026 midterm elections.

A number of Democrats are demanding that Fine face formal censure or step down following his social media post.

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez described Fine's post as "genuinely one of the most disgusting statements I have ever seen issued by an American official."

"It should not stop shocking us that the Republican Party openly embraces this. Fine should be censured & stripped of committees. To ignore this is to accept and normalize it," she said on X.

Rep. Robert Garcia labeled Fine's post as "disgusting Islamophobia and dangerous bigotry."

Garcia urged Speaker Johnson to "strip him of all committees and assignments and he should be forced to resign. I hope those that elected him are repulsed by his words and actions."

Rep. Ro Khanna also called the post "disgusting bigotry."

"Fine must be censured. It's about morality and decency, not politics," he said.

A censure is an official House reprimand, typically decided by a vote, and can carry penalties such as removal from committee assignments. Any member has the ability to call a vote on a censure resolution, even if the Republican leadership opposes it.