The meeting, which was revealed by The New York Times, which spoke to several sources familiar with the matter, is notable because Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader in the House of Representatives, is likely to become speaker if his party wins a majority in the midterm elections in November.
Housing, immigration and the cost of living were among the topics discussed during the meeting, the AP news agency reports.
Kushner also reportedly suggested that Jeffries should meet with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles as a next step.
“Powerful resistance”
Jeffries did not mention the private conversation with Kushner in a statement on Sunday, but said the US Republican administration must abandon its uncompromising "all-or-nothing line" that he believes has "disadvantaged the American people."
“To stop the madness, we have repeatedly made clear that an extremist strategy will not work and will be met with vigorous resistance,” Jeffries said.
Today, Republicans control both the Senate and the House of Representatives in Congress. But opinion polls suggest that the party will lose its majority in the House of Representatives in November. What will happen in the Senate is more uncertain.
If the Democrats were to gain power, it would put a damper on Donald Trump's policies. It would also open the door to harsh scrutiny and even impeachment proceedings against the president and those top officials within the Trump administration who have angered the Democrats.
Mitigate the consequences
Jared Kushner's actions can therefore be seen as a way to mitigate the consequences of a possible election loss, writes AP.
The current Trump-loyal speaker, Republican Mike Johnson, tried to play down the matter in an interview with Fox News on Sunday:
I don't know what it's about. I know Jared has interests in a lot of other things that are going on. He's not really directly involved in the administration, at least not in the day-to-day work of the White House.
