Former Clinton official warns 'radical' socialist takeover will 'destroy' the Democratic Party if unchecked

A lifelong Democrat and former Clinton administration official issued a warning to his party, arguing that radical socialist factions will "destroy" the Democratic Party if leadership fails to act.

Speaking on "Fox & Friends" Tuesday, Jamie Metzl called on Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and party leaders to stand against the threat posed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).

"The DSA is a radical extremist movement trying to take over the Democratic Party," Metzl said. "They want to seize the means of production. They want to eradicate police and prisons. They have a terrible message of discord and hate."

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"So unless the Democratic Party takes on these dangerous, extremist radicals in a very clear and unequivocal way now, we will destroy our own party. And that's not good for the Democrats, and it's not for America," he said.

Fox News Digital reached out to the DSA for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Metzl described a struggle for power currently in the Democratic Party between moderate factions and those aligned more closely with the DSA. He urged Jeffries and other Democrats to "lead the charge against these extremist radicals who are running on the Democratic Party line."

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He said Jeffries needs to take a clear stand, arguing Jeffries has been trying to balance criticism of the DSA with what Metzl described as support for some of the group's positions.

"Hakeem Jeffries is trying to strike a balance between being a little bit critical and being supportive, and I understand the motivation because they're trying to gain a majority in the House. But if the Democrats gain a majority of the House miraculously, but do it by an alliance with these radicals, it's going to be very, very dangerous for the Democrats to really do anything," Metzl said.

"Now is the time for the Democrats to say, 'Here's who we are, and here's what we stand for. And the future of the Democratic Party is not accommodating dangerous extremist radicals who are against American democracy,'" he continued.

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Metzl’s warnings come after several Democratic socialists won major elections, including in New York and Colorado. Melat Kiros, a new candidate backed by the DSA, pulled off an upset in Colorado, defeating longtime Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette in Denver's heavily Democratic district.

In late June, a group of far-left candidates won their elections in New York with backing from New York City’s democratic socialist mayor, Zohran Mamdani. The winners included newcomer Darializa Avila Chevalier, who beat Rep. Adriano Espaillat, and Brad Lander, who defeated Rep. Dan Goldman.