Jeffries responds to Jared Kushner meeting backlash, insists ‘Trump cartel’ won’t get a pass

WASHINGTON, DC: On Monday, August 24, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-NY, addressed the backlash he faced after meeting privately with Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law.

In a video posted on social media, Jeffries defended the meeting, saying he wanted to discuss what he described as the nation’s affordability crisis.

The New York Times broke the news of the meeting, which took place in New York and was arranged through a mutual connection.

Hakeem Jeffries defends Jared Kushner meeting

"No one from the Trump Cartel is getting a pass," Jeffries wrote in the caption accompanying the video.

The clandestine meeting was arranged by a “mutual friend,” and they “discussed housing, immigration, and the high cost of living as potential areas of common ground,” in light of Trump’s inner circle being “well aware of the likelihood of a Democratic-led House and trying to foster as much of a working relationship as possible before any change,” the Times reported.

In the video, Jeffries explained that he had just wrapped up a community event and wanted to speak directly about what he called “this Jared Kushner situation.”

He said Kushner had asked for the meeting, and he agreed because he wanted to discuss the country’s affordability crisis, a problem he insisted was real and not blown out of proportion.

Even so, Jeffries made it clear he didn’t plan to let anyone from the Trump administration off the hook. He promised Democrats would hold anyone accountable who, in his view, was short changing or exploiting the American people.

In the video, Jeffries said he was finishing a community event and wanted to “give y’all a little real talk on this Jared Kushner situation.”

“He asked for a meeting, and I took it,” he said, “to discuss the affordability crisis that exists, that is not a hoax.”

Hakeem Jeffries stresses America’s affordability crisis

Jeffries closed the video by returning to the affordability issue, saying he hears concerns about the cost of living from constituents daily and that Americans are increasingly strained by grocery, rent and gas expenses.

He argued that such economic pressure should not be occurring in the United States and said Democrats have a responsibility to address it going forward.

“At the same period of time, and I shouldn’t have to say it, but I am, no one is going to get a pass. We are gonna hold every single member of the Trump cartel accountable, beginning on day one. If you’re stealing from the American people, shortchanging the American people, or screwing over the American people, you’re going to be held accountable.”

“We’re gonna follow the facts, apply the law, and be guided by the Constitution, beginning on day one, and hold the crooks accountable,” he continued.

“The affordability crisis in this country is very real. It needs to be dealt with. I hear about it every day,” he concluded.

The Kushner meeting has stirred up a storm, especially as congressional Democrats’ interactions with people connected to the Trump administration are under scrutiny.

The timing has also drawn attention, with Jeffries in line to become House speaker if Democrats take back the House in the upcoming midterms.

Since the story broke, several top Democratic voices have weighed in on the backlash. So far, Jeffries’ office hasn’t said anything beyond the brief video statement it already released.