House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries reportedly met with Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law, to discuss potential areas of collaboration. This meeting, reported by the New York Times on Sunday, has drawn incredulous reactions from Democrats and other critics of Donald Trump.
The reported meeting occurs months before the November midterm elections. Democrats are currently favoured to regain control of the US House, a development that could position Jeffries as Speaker. Should they secure a majority, Democrats are anticipated to use their oversight powers to investigate the Trump administration, including concerns about self-enrichment by the president and his family.
Longstanding concerns exist regarding Kushner's financial dealings with foreign nations while he has been involved in foreign affairs. In April, Democrats on the House judiciary committee initiated an investigation into Kushner's financial conflict of interest, focusing on his private business raising money from Gulf nations during his tenure as a special envoy for peace.
Tommy Vietor, a former aide to Barack Obama, posted that the only way Jeffries should work with Kushner is "with demands for documents and subpoenas." Former Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger also questioned the meeting, posting, "Make this make sense." Senator Chris van Hollen stated he was "in favor of people meeting with whoever they want to discuss ideas," but added that it is "another thing to see something real come out of that."