As the Democrats' pressure on Joe Biden to step aside continues following the first presidential debate on June 27, several ranking lawmakers on Sunday told House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries that the president needs to step aside, CNN reported.
During an almost two-hour call Jeffries held to discern how ranking members feel before lawmakers return to Congress, the number of Democrats calling for the president to rescind his bid for the nomination surpassed the number of those clamoring for him to stay.
Sources said Reps. Mark Takano of California, ranking member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee; Adam Smith of Washington, ranking member of the Armed Services Committee; Jim Himes of Connecticut, ranking member of the Intelligence Committee; Joe Morelle of New York, ranking member of the House Administration Committee; Susan Wild of Pennsylvania, ranking member of the Ethics Committee; and Jerry Nadler of New York, ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, were among those who opposed Biden as the nominee.
The number of members calling for Biden to step aside was greater than the number who said during the call that he should remain the nominee, CNN reported, citing one of its sources to the private call.
Central to the Democrat faction calling for Biden to resign from the race are those who fear they may lose the opportunity to take back the House in November if he is the party's nominee.
One source familiar with the call said it was generally accepted that Vice President Kamala Harris should be the party's nominee.
"It was pretty brutal," a senior Democratic aide familiar with the call told CNN.
The situation, developed out of Biden's debate performance, has spurred a schism in the Democrat Party, with those on one side making calls for Biden to step aside and the president stating as recently as Friday that it would take a sign from the "Lord Almighty" for him to drop out.
As Biden maintains he is resilient enough to continue running, Republicans continue to pressure the president and those around him.
On Sunday, House Oversight Chair James Comer, R-Ky., posted on X: "I'm calling on President Joe Biden's physician, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, to appear for a @GOPoversight transcribed interview regarding his medical assessments of Joe Biden & involvement in the Biden family's business schemes. Dr. O'Connor's medical assessments have been potentially influenced by his business pursuits with the Biden family."
Newsmax staffer Jack Gournell contributed.
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