House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is facing open revolt from his own party for committing what used to be called “doing his job”: meeting with a member of the opposing political team.
The New York congressman sat down with Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, to discuss housing, immigration, and the cost of living. For today’s Democratic Party, that simple act of conversation has become an unforgivable sin.
The backlash has been swift and brutal. Justice Democrats spokesman Usamah Andrabi told Axios that “opposing Medicare for All and having secret meetings with Donald Trump’s son-in-law sounds more like the leadership of the Republican Party than the fighters Democratic voters are demanding in Congress.”
Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of Our Revolution, piled on, saying the meeting “reinforces the worry from our base that Jeffries’ instinct is to negotiate with the Trump power structure rather than draw lines and fight it.”
The fury has put Jeffries’ path to the House speakership in serious jeopardy.
Kushner reportedly requested the meeting and suggested Jeffries also connect with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles. The two men discussed affordability issues, the very topics Democrats claim will help them retake the House in November. But apparently talking about grocery bills with the wrong person is now off limits.
Jeffries and Kushner aren’t strangers. They previously worked together on criminal justice reform during Trump’s first term. That kind of bipartisan relationship used to be considered valuable for a congressional leader. Not anymore.
Facing mounting criticism, Jeffries released a video Monday night that had all the hallmarks of political damage control.
“I want to give y’all a little real talk on this Jared Kushner situation,” Jeffries said. “He asked for a meeting, and I took it to discuss the affordability crisis that exists. That is not a hoax.”
He added, “No one is going to get a pass.”
His critics weren’t buying it.
House Democrats speaking anonymously to Axios were more revealing about the mood inside the caucus. “Of all the people he could meet with, this strikes me as odd,” one lawmaker said. Others noted that Jeffries has offered no explanation to his fellow House Democrats. One aide, quoted by Semafor, dismissed the entire situation with a two-word profanity.
What’s most telling about the whole episode isn’t that Democrats disagreed with their leader’s decision. It’s that so few were willing to defend the basic idea that talking to political opponents is a normal part of governing in a republic.
