Hakeem Jeffries is the Whip of the Congressional Black Caucus:
Hakeem Jeffries represents the diverse Eighth Congressional District of New York, an area that encompasses large parts of Brooklyn and a section of Queens. Serving his second term in the United States Congress, Rep. Jeffries is a member of the House Judiciary Committee and House Education and the Workforce Committee. He is also Whip of the Congressional Black Caucus. During the prior Congress, he served on the House Judiciary Committee Task Force on Overcriminalization. Presently, Rep. Jeffries co-chairs the bipartisan Intellectual Property Caucus.
In Congress, Rep. Jeffries has emerged as a tireless advocate for social and economic justice. He has worked hard to help residents impacted by the devastation of Superstorm Sandy, reform our criminal justice system, improve the economy for hardworking Americans and make college more affordable.
He’s made important progress on reigning in unchecked police authority:
In 2010, the Congressman successfully sponsored legislation that prohibits the New York Police Department from maintaining an electronic database with the personal information of individuals who are stopped, questioned and frisked during a police encounter, but not charged with a crime or violation. This law is widely regarded as the first meaningful legislative reform of the police department's aggressive and controversial stop and frisk program. That same year, Rep. Jeffries sponsored and championed groundbreaking civil rights legislation to end prison-based gerrymandering in New York State, a practice that undermined the democratic principle of one person, one vote. With its passage, New York became only the second state in the country to count incarcerated individuals in their home communities for purposes of legislative redistricting, rather than in the counties where they are temporarily incarcerated.
And who else has endorsed Hillary? None other than GK Butterfield, the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. From his endorsement:
The black community matters, and black votes matter, which is why I publicly and proudly support Hillary Clinton for president. She has the record, foresight, and passion to improve the lives of millions of African-Americans.
This was not a hard decision.
Four out of five black adults in this country have a favorable opinion of Clinton. Black support for her is far stronger than for any other candidate. And it’s well deserved: In her commitment to reforming our criminal justice system, expanding voting rights, creating jobs and economic opportunities, and enhancing workplace diversity, Clinton’s goals align closely with those of the Congressional Black Caucus and the black community as a whole.
The CBC is waiting to formally endorse until Representative Clyburn makes his intentions known.
Rep. Clyburn has not endorsed yet, but he talked about talking “with friends and family” this morning on Andrea Mitchell’s show. And who do his friends and family support?
In an interview with the Washington Post, Clyburn said he’s feeling pressure from Clinton supporters – including his wife and one of his daughters – not to stay neutral in the campaign, as he previously planned to do.
Clyburn also said the Congressional Black Caucus plans to endorse Clinton, but is holding off at Clyburn’s request.
Clyburn told The State recently that he did not want the caucus to do anything that could harm South Carolina’s status as the first-in-the-South Democratic presidential primary.
He told Washington Post on Tuesday that he could not see himself going against the caucus, which leaves him with the option of remaining neutral or endorsing Clinton.
These developments are very significant for Hillary’s prospects in South Carolina.
Just saw this: