House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has drawn criticism from some within Democratic circles following a private meeting with Jared Kushner, a former advisor to President Donald Trump. The discussions, which reportedly focused on potential areas of agreement, occurred ahead of the midterm elections.
Tommy Vietor, a former aide to President Barack Obama and co-host of the podcast Pod Save America, was among those critical of the meeting. "Jared Kushner has no actual government job, he just uses his family connections to get money from Gulf autocrats and fund corrupt deals," Vietor stated. "The only way Jeffries should work with him is with demands for documents and subpoenas."
House Speaker Mike Johnson stated Sunday that he was unaware of the meeting until reports began to circulate in the media. "I don't know what that's about," Johnson said on Fox News. "I know Jared has interests and lots of other things going on. He's not really directly involved in the admin, at least in the day-to-day in the White House."
Despite the internal party scrutiny, Johnson expressed confidence in the Republican Party's ability to maintain control of the House. "I’m telling you what, you better not bet against the House Republicans," he remarked.