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Hakeem Jeffries meets Jared Kushner privately as midterm pressure mounts

newsAug 23, 2026118125

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries held a private meeting with Jared Kushner as midterm attacks against Democrats intensified, a New York Times report said. One person briefed on the meeting described it as a catch up; the two men stayed in touch after working together on a criminal justice bill during Mr. Trump’s first term. The Times framed the gathering amid a bruising midterm environment in which Democrats and the administration are both jockeying for post-election influence. The meeting prompted sharp criticism on social media from progressive activists and other critics who said Kushner has no official government role and that the encounter undercuts Jeffries politically. Some commentators argued the timing made Jeffries politically vulnerable as he is positioned to lead a Democratic House, while others suggested the meeting was benign. The immediate consequence was sustained public scrutiny and pressure on Jeffries’s leadership ahead of the midterms.

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