Jeff Van Drew ousted from Blue Dogs; staffers who quit faced blackball threats from Dems

A group of centrist Democrats ejected Rep. Jeff Van Drew, D-N.J., from its ranks on Tuesday, voting to rescind his membership “indefinitely,” as he is likely to switch over to the GOP, a senior aide to the Blue Dog Coalition told Fox News. His ousting from the coalition comes on the heels of the resignation of five aides from Van Drew’s office Sunday, who said they could no longer work for the congressman as he poises to make the jump across the aisle.

“Sadly, Congressman Van Drew’s decision to join the ranks of the Republican Party led by Donald Trump does not align with the values we brought to this job when we joined his office,” the aides wrote in a letter addressed to Van Drew’s chief of staff, Allison Murphy.

The congressman told reporters Tuesday that the exodus of aides was dictated to them by nameless officials who threatened that they would never hold another position in the Democratic Party if they did not resign, according to Politico reports.

“They were told to,” Van Drew said, adding: “They had to or they wouldn’t work again.”

Van Drew didn’t specify if he knew that any threats were made to the aides, but said “it would be very hard for them to work” if they stayed with him after he switched parties.

Deputy Chief of Staff Justin O’Leary, center, joins other top aides to New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew, a House Democrat who plans to switch and become a Republican, as leave their office after turning in their joint letter of resignation, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, Dec. 16, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

5 AIDES TO DEMOCRAT JEFF VAN DREW RESIGN AS HE MULLS SWITCHING TO GOP

The Blue Dog Coalition told Fox News on Tuesday they ousted the congressman after reports he is considering switching political parties.

“Per our by laws, which require all members to be a member of the Democratic Party, Congressman Van Drew is no longer a member of the Blue Dog Coalition,” Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., and the co-chair for administration of the Coalition told Fox News.

Van Drew has been one of only two Democrats to vote against formalizing the impeachment inquiry against President Trump and has been an outspoken critic of the probe from the start. The House is expected to vote on two articles of impeachment on Wednesday.

The freshman represents a southern New Jersey district that Trump carried in 2016 and was expected to face a difficult reelection next year.

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He has not formally announced that he is switching parties, but has instead said: “People kind of know that I’m going in a direction, but I haven’t announced anything.”