House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has responded to the backlash after he was found to have held a secret meeting with Jared Kushner.
In a video posted on X, Jeffries insisted that no one in Trumpland was “going to get a pass,” as critics questioned why the Democrat lined up as the next House speaker had held private talks with Donald Trump’s son-in-law.
“He asked for a meeting, and I took it to discuss the affordability crisis that exists, that is not a hoax,” Jeffries said.
“At the same period of time—I shouldn’t have to say it, but I am—no one is going to get a pass. We’re going to hold every single member of the Trump cartel accountable beginning on day one.”
The meeting, first reported by The New York Times, was held so the pair could apparently discuss common ground on issues such as housing, immigration, and the cost-of-living crisis in the U.S.
There were concerns that Kushner, who has no official role in Trump’s second administration but is one of the president’s most trusted foreign advisers, had an ulterior motive for wanting to meet with Jeffries.
Kushner enriching himself through private business deals while working as a special envoy for Trump and negotiating peace deals for conflicts in Ukraine, Iran, and Gaza could be a line of investigation for House Democrats should they retake control of the lower chamber following November’s elections.
Trump himself has accepted that Democrats could launch impeachment hearings against the president should they flip the House in the midterms.
“Jared Kushner has no actual government job he just uses his family connections to get money from Gulf autocrats and fund corrupt deals,” Tommy Vietor, a former Barack Obama aide who now co-hosts Pod Save America, posted on X. “The only way Rep. Jeffries should work with him is with demands for documents and subpoenas.”
Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville also expressed his fury at Jeffries for meeting with a member of Trump’s own family amid fears Kushner is already trying to curry favor with the Democratic leader.
“These people are a pack of felons and traitors and you do not meet with them. You do not meet with them!” Carville said.
Elsewhere in his video, Jeffries insisted he would take an aggressive stance toward the Trump regime and “hold the crooks accountable,” while also vowing to address the country’s affordability crisis.
“Far too many people are stressed to F out. When it’s time to go to the grocery store, pay the rent, or put gas in the tank. That’s crazy,” Jeffries said. “That should not be happening in the United States of America, and we have a responsibility to address it. And that’s what we intend to do.”
