Top House Dem sides with Mamdani critics on key controversy surrounding his campaign: 'Legitimate issue'

"Well listen, that's an issue for the state legislators and the state government to work out," Jeffries told CNBC on Thursday morning when asked about Mamdani living in a rent-stabilized apartment in Queens despite making close to $150,000 a year. 

When pressed about New Yorkers who make far less and don't have access to rent-controlled apartments, Jeffries said, "It's a legitimate issue that has been raised, and the campaign is going to have to address it."

"Right-wing think tanks and MAGA billionaires' pathetic attempts to distract from Zohran Mamdani's mission to make NYC more affordable will fail, just as they did in the primary where New Yorkers resoundingly rejected Andrew Cuomo in a humiliating defeat," Mamdani spokesperson Dora Pekec told the New York Post regarding the ethics complaint.

Jeffries legitimizing the critique of Mamdani sparked some pushback online from users who suggested Jeffries was wrong to side against Mamdani. 

In the CNBC interview, Jeffries also declined to officially endorse Mamdani despite praising his primary performance where he "outworked" his opponents.

"But now, during the general election, of course, he's going to have to demonstrate to a broader electorate, including in many of the neighborhoods that I represent in Brooklyn, that his ideas can actually be put into reality, and that's the conversation that he's having with me and having with people who are community leaders and residents in the 8th Congressional District I serve."

Fox News Digital's Alec Schemmel contributed to this report