{"id":49878,"date":"2026-08-24T12:26:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T19:26:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=49878"},"modified":"2026-08-24T12:26:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T19:26:11","slug":"pathetic-stuff-jeffries-rebuked-over-secret-meeting-with-kushner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2026\/08\/24\/pathetic-stuff-jeffries-rebuked-over-secret-meeting-with-kushner\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Pathetic Stuff\u2019: Jeffries Rebuked Over Secret Meeting With Kushner"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"House<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

US House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) speaks during a news conference at the US Capitol Building on July 13, 2026 in Washington, DC. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Photo by Finn Gomez\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only valid reason for such a meeting, said one critic, would be for the House Minority Leader to tell the president\u2019s son-in-law that he\u2019ll be subpoenaed by \u201cfor a corruption investigation on day one of Democratic control of the House.\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Jon Queally<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aug 23, 2026 (CommonDream.org)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Persistent calls among progressive critics and Democratic voters that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries<\/a> and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer<\/a> should step aside from their leadership roles ticked up again on Sunday after it was reported that Jeffries met secretly in recent weeks with Jared Kushner<\/a>, the far-right son-in-law of President Donald Trump<\/a>, who has also served as a top White House<\/a> advisor and envoy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The New York Times<\/a> reported<\/a> Sunday that the two men \u201cmet privately in recent weeks\u201d in order to discuss \u201cpotential areas of common ground\u201d if the Democrats regain control of one or both chambers of Congress in the midterms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RECOMMENDED…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"US-POLITICS-TRUMP\"\/<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Trump Is Scared\u2019: DOJ Executive Privilege Memo Decried as Effort to \u2018Shield\u2019 Inner Circle<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Maj.<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Trump \u2018Has Failed Us\u2019: US Airman Says He Accepts Cost of Speaking Out Against Iran War<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to<\/a> the Times:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The rare engagement was held in a private space in New York City<\/a>, offered up by a mutual friend of the two men, according to two people with knowledge of the meeting and a third who was briefed on it. They and others were granted anonymity to discuss a meeting about which they were not authorized to speak publicly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through aides, neither man would comment on the session, which was described by one person with knowledge of it as a broad conversation on a range of topics. Still, its timing underscored that those around Mr. Trump were 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.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

News of the meeting, later confirmed by other news outlets but which Kushner and Jeffries neither confirmed nor denied, landed poorly for progressive critics who make the case that Jeffries\u2019 political leanings and leadership tendencies are a roadblock to the kind of transformational change wanted by a majority faction of the Democratic Party<\/a> and also needed to defeat Trump and his fascist allies once and for all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJeffries and Schumer have to go if Democrats are even going to gain any ground,\u201d said<\/a> David W. Pippy, a former school administrator and local union president, in response to the reporting. \u201cThey need fighters, not secret meetings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last Sunday, Jeffries went on a weekend news show and said he\u00a0does not support<\/a>\u00a0Medicare for All<\/a>\u00a0legislation in the House, despite poll after poll showing Democratic voters overwhelmingly support it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

X post: https:\/\/x.com\/davidsirota\/status\/2091561195732173175?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2091561195732173175%7Ctwgr%5E12d6ca2d4a0fdc0c476065f8a696b3a85346531b%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.commondreams.org%2Fnews%2Fjeffries-kushner-secret-meeting<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe lack of political talent in New York is astounding,\u201d Gabe McKinley, an actor and director based in New York City, declared<\/a> in a social media<\/a> post. \u201cJeffries and Schumer are bad at their jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Times, citing its sources familiar with the meeting, reported that \u201cthe pair discussed housing,\u00a0immigration<\/a>\u00a0and the high cost of living as potential areas of common ground.\u201d Kushner also suggested Jeffries connect with Trump\u2019s White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles, whom he reportedly described as the \u201cmost serious\u201d person in the president\u2019s inner circle. It wasn\u2019t clear how Jeffries responded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

X post: https:\/\/x.com\/TheMaineWonk\/status\/2091536545551396943?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2091536545551396943%7Ctwgr%5E12d6ca2d4a0fdc0c476065f8a696b3a85346531b%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.commondreams.org%2Fnews%2Fjeffries-kushner-secret-meeting<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Journalist Mehdi Hasan responded by saying Sunday was \u201ca good day to re-up my piece from almost exactly a year ago,\u201d in which he explained why Schumer and Jeffries, both of whom represent New York in Congress, are leaders that the party\u2014which has now lost the White House to Trump twice\u2014can no longer afford. In his op-ed, Hasan wrote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Since Trump was inaugurated for a second time in January, Jeffries and Schumer have demonstrated time and again that they are not built for this particular moment. While Trump seeds the ground for an American dictatorship, these two top Dems pine for bipartisanship<\/a>. While millions of rank-and-file Democrats across the country say they want leaders who will fight, Jeffries and Schumer fold. While younger Democrats like [NYC City Mayor Zohran] Mamdani and [Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez<\/a> (D.NY)] offer energy and charisma, these two lackluster leaders in the House and Senate offer cringe chants and even cringier photo ops<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is past time for both Jeffries and Schumer to step down and step aside. This fascist moment, this age of Trump, demands outspoken, unrelenting and fearless opposition. Whether you are a Democrat, or simply a democrat, we all deserve better.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

On Sunday, Hasan argued that the only valid reason Jeffries should be meeting with Kushner is to \u201ctell him he\u2019ll be subpoenaed by the House for a corruption<\/a> investigation on day one of Democratic control of the House.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Former Republican strategist Tim Miller, now with The Bulwark, agreed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

X post: https:\/\/x.com\/Timodc\/status\/2091514533646881127?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2091514533646881127%7Ctwgr%5E12d6ca2d4a0fdc0c476065f8a696b3a85346531b%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.commondreams.org%2Fnews%2Fjeffries-kushner-secret-meeting<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Otherwise, said Hasan, \u201cThis is just pathetic stuff from the House Dem leader.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jon Queally<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jon Queally is managing editor of Common Dreams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Full Bio ><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

US House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) speaks during a news conference at the US Capitol Building on July 13, 2026 in Washington, DC.  (Photo by Finn Gomez\/Getty Images) The only valid reason for such a meeting, said one critic, would be for the House Minority Leader to tell the… Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1879],"tags":[1747,2425],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49878"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49878"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49878\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49879,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49878\/revisions\/49879"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49878"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49878"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49878"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}