House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries is defending himself after facing some criticism over his meeting with Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and close adviser.
Jeffries recently met with Kushner privately in New York to discuss ways the White House can collaborate with Democrats on key issues, such as immigration, housing and the cost of living, a source familiar with the meeting told CNN.
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The minority leader said Tuesday on CNN’s “The Situation Room,” “We have a responsibility to solve problems and sometimes that means meeting with people on the other side of the aisle to figure out what the opportunities will be in order to address the things that the American people definitively want us to address, which from our standpoint, is the reality that the cost of living in this country is way too high.”
When asked by Wolf Blitzer if anything was accomplished in the meeting, Jeffries said, “No, it was just a high-level, topical conversation.”
In an earlier video post on X, Jeffries said that Kushner “asked for a meeting, and I took it to discuss the affordability crisis that exists that is not a hoax.”
“No one is going to get a pass. We’re going to hold every single member of the Trump cartel accountable, beginning on Day 1,” he continued, going on to tout the ways House Democrats have challenged the Trump administration.
He told CNN on Tuesday that he hasn’t ruled out impeaching Trump if Democrats win back the majority in the House.
Jeffries has emerged as a vocal opponent of Trump in the president’s second term. He has repeatedly insisted that Democrats are focused on lowering costs for Americans, which he says have been driven up by the president’s policies.
When asked whether he has plans to meet with Trump or his chief of staff Susie Wiles, Jeffries said on Tuesday, “Well, that depends on what legislative business may be in front of us as it relates to the things that need to be done for the American people prior to the midterms.”
The minority leader had faced backlash from some left-wing pundits after reports emerged that he met with Kushner. The private meeting was first reported by The New York Times on Sunday.
“Jared Kushner has no actual government job he just uses his family connections to get money from gulf autocrats and fund corrupt deals. The only way (Jeffries) should work with him is with demands for documents and subpoenas,” Tommy Vietor, a former Obama staffer and co-host of “Pod Save America” said in a post on X.
“The only meeting Hakeem Jeffries should be having with Jared Kushner is to tell him he’ll be subpoenaed by the House for a corruption investigation on day one of Democratic control of the House,” said Mehdi Hasan, an outspoken journalist. “This is just pathetic stuff from the House Dem leader.”
Former GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a staunch Trump critic, said in a post on X, “There really is no excuse for a secret meeting, especially before the election.”
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Some prominent Democrats have, meanwhile, stood by Jeffries.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said in a post on X, “I also met with Leader Jeffries this week. We both know we have to do all we can to hold every part of the Trump cartel accountable.”
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said during a news conference, “I continue to support Congressman Jeffries and his bid to become the leader.”
Kushner and Jeffries previously worked together on the First Step Act, a law passed with bipartisan support in 2018 that sought to reduce the federal prison population by, among other things, easing mandatory minimum sentencing requirements for certain violations.
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