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Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), the longest-serving New Yorker in the House, announced he will not run for reelection in 2026, citing the need for “generational change” within the party.
In an interview with The New York Times published Monday, Nadler said Biden’s 2024 withdrawal after a bruising debate with Trump reinforced his decision, adding that a younger successor “can maybe do better, can maybe help us more.”
“I’m not saying we should change over the entire party,” Nadler told the outlet. “But I think a certain amount of change is very helpful, especially when we face the challenge of Trump and his incipient fascism.”
Democrats routinely call President Trump a “fascist” and “authoritarian,” but he has constantly run up against federal court rulings that have curbed many of his initiatives, though several of those rulings have been labeled as constitutionally suspect by Republicans.
For Nadler’s part, he did not say who he wanted to succeed him, only that his decision not to seek reelection “has not been easy.”
“But I know in my heart it is the right one and that it is the right time to pass the torch to a new generation,” he said.
“I don’t know what the future beyond 2026 holds, but I plan to stay fully engaged in the community that is my home and in the causes that I’ve championed throughout my life,” Nadler continued. “My plans for the next sixteen months, however, are clear. I will continue to give everything I have to defend our democracy, protect our institutions, and fight for the values that as Americans and New Yorkers we share.”
Nadler, 78, was first elected in 1992 and served as House Judiciary Committee chair from 2019 to 2023 before becoming ranking member. A manager in Trump’s first impeachment, he announced in December 2024 he would step down after Rep. Jamie Raskin mounted a challenge for his post.
He was also facing a primary challenge from 26-year-old Liam Elkind.
Elkind told CBS News in August he believes the party needs “to be the party of fighters. We need to be the party of organizers. We need to be more generationally relevant, better organized and ready to fight.”
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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, also from New York, called Nadler “a relentless fighter for justice, civil rights and liberties and the fundamental promise of equality for all.”
“As the legendary Chairman of the powerful House Judiciary Committee, he helped lead two historic impeachments and ensure that no one, not even the President, is above the law,” Jeffries said.
“In that role, he championed legislation to protect our democracy and the American way of life, fighting for women, people of color and the LGBTQ+ community, including enshrining into law the Respect for Marriage Act. … Jerry’s years of leadership have earned him a spot among our nation’s greatest public servants,” Jeffries continued.
“He will be deeply missed by the House Democratic Caucus next term and we wish him and his family the very best in this new chapter,” he added, per CBS News.
In a dramatic incident caught on video, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officers handcuffed an aide to Nadler inside his Manhattan district office in June, located in the same federal building as an immigration courthouse.
The video, shared with Gothamist and recorded by someone monitoring immigration court activity, shows DHS officers entering Nadler’s office and accusing staffers of “harboring rioters,” the outlet reported.
One staffer is seen in tears as she is handcuffed, while another officer attempts to enter a private area of the office, prompting a staff member to demand a warrant.
In the video, one officer is seen attempting to enter a private office as a staffer inside repeatedly asks to see a warrant. “I’m a federal officer. We’re here checking on something. We have the right to check,” the officer said.
t Who Led Trump Impeachment Won’t Seek Re-Election Hawley Launches Probe Into LA Riot Funding: ‘This Violence Isn’t Spontaneous’ 
Calls for a probe into the funding behind the Los Angeles riots reached the United States Senate on Wednesday, with Josh Hawley (R-MO) being the first Republican to do so publicly.
For days, news from Los Angeles has shown rioters donning pricey face shields, earphones, and other protective gear in preparation for battles with cops and immigration agents, all as a result of a weekend immigration raid by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Even established media leaders in the City of Angels have condemned the provision of such gear, which conceals demonstrators’ faces while protecting them from less-lethal crowd control measures employed by the National Guard and Marines.
It all piqued Hawley’s interest, and he said on Wednesday that he will conduct an inquiry into the violence as chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism.
“Who is funding the LA riots? This violence isn’t spontaneous,” he wrote on social media.
In the letter, Hawley addresses the executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, a special interest group that got funds from the Biden administration and has been tied to several rallies. Critics allege that its participants were present at many violent demonstrations.
“While peaceful protest is a cornerstone of American democracy, these demonstrations have escalated into lawless mob actions. They have obstructed federal law enforcement, endangered public safety, and disrupted the rule of law. This lawlessness is unacceptable. It must end,” the letter states.
Hawley’s subcommittee, which has subpoena power, is requesting that Salas disclose all recorded contacts concerning protest preparation in the days leading up to the disturbances, as well as any financial papers relating to the purchase of equipment.
Grant applications, travel and hotel data, donor lists, and strategic media materials are also being requested.
“Failure to comply will result in additional action by this Subcommittee, including potential referral for criminal investigation,” Hawley concludes.
A new report reveals one of the main groups behind the anti-ICE demonstrators on the streets of Los Angeles, which has led to many insultingand harassing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
Laura Powell, a high-profile liberal attorney from California, took to X to share a screenshot exposing The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights as one of the “key players in fomenting the violent response to immigration enforcement actions.”“If you are a Californian, the current LA riots are an example of your tax dollars hard at work. The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights—CHIRLA—is one of the key players in fomenting the violent response to immigration enforcement actions. It’s an LA-based nonprofit with a history of taking radical positions on immigration; for example, it led a 2018 campaign to abolish ICE. It currently leads the Los Angeles Rapid Response Network, which gathers intel about enforcement actions and deploys activists to respond,” Powell wrote in a lengthy post on X.“CHIRLA has strong ties to the Democrat Party in California and has supported the election of Democratic candidates through its lobbying arm. It has a particularly close relationship with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. The organization also has a close relationship with organized labor in the state, which in turn is a major financial supporter of Democrat politicians. On Friday, amid rising tensions, CHIRLA held a rally protesting ICE’s enforcement actions and the arrest of SEIU President David Huerta for obstruction,” she added.
Powell continued, “The incredible part is that CHIRLA’s activities are primarily funded by California taxpayers. I obtained a financial audit that shows that for the fiscal year ending June 2023, it received $34 million from the state, mostly through the Department of Social Services, accounting for 72% of its total revenue. This was nearly a three-fold increase over the previous year.”
“CHIRLA also received a $450,000 federal contract in 2023, which Mayor Bass publicly took credit for helping secure. DHS froze funding in February, which prompted a lawsuit from CHIRLA. DHA then canceled the contract, and the lawsuit was then dismissed. Eisenhower warned of the military-industrial complex—now we face a nonprofit-industrial complex,” she concluded.