House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries met with Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law, to discuss potential areas of collaboration, according to a New York Times report on Sunday. The news drew incredulous reactions from Democrats and other Trump critics, including Senator Chris van Hollen, former Obama aide Tommy Vietor, and ex-Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger.
Meeting Raises Eyebrows Ahead of Midterms
The reported meeting comes months before the November midterm elections, in which Democrats are favored to retake the US House. If they gain the majority, Jeffries would become speaker, and Democrats are expected to use their oversight power to aggressively investigate the Trump administration, including potential self-enrichment by the president and his family.
Longstanding conflict-of-interest concerns surround Kushner, who has continued to profit from foreign nations while working on foreign affairs, including conflicts in Ukraine, Iran, and Gaza.
Jeffries Defends Engagement
Asked about the meeting, Jeffries issued a statement saying: “Throughout this Congress, Republicans have adopted a my-way-or-the-highway approach to governing that has failed the American people. To stop the madness, we have repeatedly made clear that an extremist approach will not work and will be met with forceful opposition.”
He added: “The American people want bold change and that’s what House Democrats will deliver. In every conversation that we have with the Trump administration, we will continue to make it explicitly clear that the affordability crisis is not a hoax and nothing short of transformational policy change is acceptable. We are fighting for an affordable America. The question is whether Republicans will join us.”
Critics Question Kushner's Role
Tommy Vietor, a former aide to President Barack Obama and co-host of the left-leaning podcast Pod Save America, posted: “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.”
In April, Democrats on the House judiciary committee opened an investigation into Kushner’s financial conflicts of interest, focusing on how his private business raised money from Gulf nations while he served as a special envoy for peace.
Maryland congressman Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the committee, wrote in an April letter to Kushner: “You cannot both be a diplomat and a financial pawn of the Saudi monarchy at the same time; you cannot faithfully represent the United States with billions of dollars in Saudi and Emirati cash burning a hole in every pocket of every suit you own.”
Mixed Reactions Among Democrats
The reaction underscores Democrats' appetite for a no-holds-barred approach to investigating Trump during the final two years of his second presidency, should they have the opportunity. However, not all Democrats share this pugilistic stance. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, has taken a more collaborative approach to working with Trump in his second term.
Senator Chris van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, said on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday: “I’m in favor of people meeting with whoever they want to discuss ideas. But it’s one thing to have a meeting. It’s another thing to see something real come out of that.”
Adam Kinzinger, a former Republican congressman from Illinois and outspoken Trump critic who served on a House committee investigating the Capitol attack, posted in reference to the meeting, “Make this make sense,” while tagging Jeffries.
