Hakeem Jeffries spoke with reporters about why he missed the congressional vigil for Charlie Kirk on Monday evening. (Getty Images)
Kirk was assassinated last week when a gunman opened fire on him during a college campus speaking event in Utah.
Fox News Digital witnessed just a handful of House Democrats at the vigil, side by side with dozens of Republican lawmakers.
When asked why more Democrats did not attend, Jeffries said Tuesday, "I don't know."
"I guess you'd have to talk to the individual Democrats as to what else was going on and why they were present or why they weren't present," he said.
148 DEMOCRATS BACK NONCITIZEN VOTING IN DC AS GOP RAISES ALARM ABOUT FOREIGN AGENTS
House Speaker Mike Johnson leads a vigil to honor conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed at an event in Utah last week, at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Sept. 15, 2025. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)
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"I honestly did not even see the composition of the group," he said when asked if he was disappointed in the number of Democrats who showed up.
"I'm glad it was bipartisan, and I wish more had participated, and I'm not sure why they didn't. So I don't know what else we can do other than offer an all-member bipartisan vigil. And we've done that routinely for other things."
Fox News' Kelly Phares and Fox News Radio's Ryan Schmelz contributed to this report.
Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.
Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/hakeem-jeffries-4-word-answer-why-he-skipped-charlie-kirk-vigil