Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee Receives Backlash For Allegedly Berating Staff Members In Leaked Audio

Fox News reports that Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) is under fire for allegedly going on a verbally abusive rant against staff members.

In leaked audio first posted by Current Revolt on Oct. 22, Jackson Lee can be heard in the unverified tape allegedly referring to staffers negatively.

Leaked audio obtained by @CurrentRevolt shows Democrat Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee berating a staffer: “F**king idiots serve no goddamn purpose … Nobody gives a shit about what you’re doing and you ain’t doing shit!”

(WARNING: Explicit language) pic.twitter.com/Lzl4AmKhkS

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 21, 2023

Jackson Lee was allegedly recorded speaking to a male staff member, asking, “You took a piece of paper from that woman regarding something that was owned by Duncantell. Where is it? What date was it?” When the staffer said he gave the paper to Jerome, who took it upstairs, Jackson Lee cut him off, saying she would call Jerome. “I don’t want you to do a g-d–n thing.”

“I want you to have a [expletive] brain. I want you to have read it. I want you to say, ‘Congresswoman, it was such and such a date. That’s what I want. That’s the kind of staff that I want to have.”

When the audio hit social media, the Houston mayoral candidate received backlash from potential voters and colleagues from both sides of the political arena. Former Republican Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger wrote, according to Newsweek, that Jackson Lee has always been abusive to her staff.

“She has always always been known to abuse staff,” Kinzinger wrote. “But somehow gets away with it, this is awful.”

Another wrote a warning that people who come to Capitol Hill will learn that Jackson Lee is the worst person to work for. “This is one of the first things you’ll learn on Capitol Hill if you ever spend any time there,” @justin_hart wrote. “Sheila, Jackson Lee is about the worst person to work for—ever.”

This is one of the first things you’ll learn on Capitol Hill if you ever spend any time there. Sheila, Jackson Lee is about the worst person to work for – ever pic.twitter.com/TQZEF5xdmP

— Justin Hart (@justin_hart) October 21, 2023

Human Rights Commissioner for Austin, Texas, Meebs Aslam, condemned Lee’s alleged actions, calling for her to apologize publicly.

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee has been a great leader & would make a good mayor, but this type of toxic workplace environment shouldn’t be tolerated. No boss should speak to their staffer like this— she needs to publicly apologize. pic.twitter.com/7UCKugwCXF

— Meebs Aslam (@itsMeebs) October 22, 2023

Representing Texas’ 18th District since 1995, Jackson Lee reportedly “has long had a reputation as a demanding, sharp-talking boss.” She was accused of requiring her staff members to work long hours and demanding them to drive her anywhere she wanted, regardless of the distance.