Jeffries defends himself following criticism for meeting with Jared Kushner

The men talked about housing, immigration and high living costs as possible categories of common ground, the New York Times reported.

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.

Throughout his time as Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson has been caught between a rebellious caucus and an unpredictable president, a bind that only grows more complicated as midterms approach

It was something of a shock to discover that House minority leader Hakeen Jeffries met secretly with Jared Kushner who, no matter how close an informal adviser to his father-in-law he may be, is still a walking Ground Zero for business deals that demand congressional scrutiny, and who, in any case, is not an official of the current administration.