Dem lawmaker to Trump: 'How dare you lecture us about treason'

Rep. Hakeem JeffriesHakeem Sekou JeffriesConnect Beltway to America to get federal criminal justice reform done Dem lawmaker labels Trump the ‘Grand Wizard of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave’ Dem lawmaker sees 'probability’ that next Speaker will be black MORE (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday tore into President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump officials to announce closure of Palestinian Liberation Organization office in DC: report Alibaba's Jack Ma to step down as chairman in 2019 Trump expected to soon declassify Carter Page, Bruce Ohr documents: report MORE after he accused Democrats on Monday of "treasonous" behavior during his State of the Union address.

Jeffries said Tuesday that treason is "not a laughing matter" but rather a "serious crime embedded in the Constitution, punishable by death."

"But since your commander in chief chose to raise it at a political rally, let's have a discussion about treason," he said.

"Is it treason for a presidential campaign to meet with a hostile foreign power to sell out our democracy and rig the election?"

Jeffries further questioned whether it was treason for a presidential campaign to "meet with Russian spies who promise information that was negative about a political opponent and then fail to report that meeting to law enforcement officials."

He appeared to be referring to a 2016 Trump Tower meeting that included Donald Trump Jr.Donald (Don) John TrumpEx-NFL player and Trump Jr. hunting partner Jason Hairston found dead If a conservative Facebook is such a good idea, why hasn't it happened? Trump Jr. shares doctored Nike ad featuring President Trump instead of Colin Kaepernick MORE, White House adviser Jared KushnerJared Corey KushnerTrump officials to announce closure of Palestinian Liberation Organization office in DC: report Columnist says Jared Kushner told her how to get back into Trump’s ‘good graces’ The Hill's 12:30 Report — Obama jumps into midterm fight with speech blasting Trump | Trump wants DOJ to probe anonymous writer | Day four of Kavanaugh hearing MORE, former Trump campaign chairman Paul ManafortPaul John ManafortDem senator: 'Absolutely no national security issues' with anonymous op-ed Manafort considering plea deal to avoid second trial: report Protester throws 'Team Putin' shirt at Papadopoulos after sentencing MORE and a Russian attorney.

"How dare you lecture us about treason. This is not a dictatorship. It's a democracy," Jeffries said.

"And we do not have to stand for a reality show host masquerading as president of the United States."

In a speech Monday, Trump suggested that Democrats not clapping for his address were guilty of treason.

Trump added the Democrats "would rather see Trump do badly than our country do well," saying that was "very selfish."