Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently shared her perspective on a private meeting between House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Jared Kushner, The Hill reported. The interaction between the two men occurred ahead of the November midterms and was reported by the New York Times.
When asked if she felt concerned about the meeting while walking near the Capitol, Ocasio-Cortez responded by saying, “Yeah,” followed by a laugh. She then added, “I don’t know what that was about.” This comes after reports surfaced in late August detailing how the two sat down to find common ground on issues like immigration, housing, and the high cost of living.
According to two individuals familiar with the situation, Kushner even advised Jeffries to get in touch with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles. Kushner, who is married to Ivanka Trump, has been acting as a foreign envoy, focusing on high-stakes areas like the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, as well as previous peace talks with Iranian officials.
Ocasio-Cortez ripped into Kushner’s place in the administration
She noted, “Kushner holds this very bizarre role where he is wielding political influence without a political position and the accountability and public transparency that is required in such a position.” She further explained, “I think that what we’d love to see as well with respect to Mr. Kushner is some transparency into his dealings and what he is doing with respect to his conflicts of interest.”
Q: Jeffries took a meeting with Jared Kushner, do you think it’s productive for the leader to be making those kind of inroads with the administration?
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 31, 2026
AOC: Well, I’m not sure Jared Kushner is part of this administration, you know, that’s part of the challenges that we have here.… pic.twitter.com/PViqC1ysiT
For her, the priority should remain on legislative action. She concluded her thoughts by saying, “I think that what we really need right now is to focus on our plan for how we’re going to help people’s lives.”
Ocasio-Cortez made a rare move by supporting Jeffries as he continued his role as leader. This was the first time in two election cycles that she backed an incumbent, and she specifically cited his focus on affordability as a key reason for her support.
Jeffries has not stayed quiet about the criticism he has faced since the details of the meeting became public. He stated, “No one from the Trump Cartel is getting a pass.” In a video addressing the situation, Jeffries explained that it was actually Kushner who reached out to him first. He accepted the invitation specifically to discuss affordability. However, he made sure to emphasize that House Democrats have continued to push the Trump administration on various issues.
