Following some criticism regarding his meeting with Jared Kushner, the son-in-law and close adviser of President Donald Trump, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries is defending himself.

A person familiar with the conversation told CNN that Jeffries and Kushner recently had a secret meeting in New York to talk about how the White House might work with Democrats on important problems including immigration, housing, and the cost of living.

Kushner "asked for a meeting, and I took it to discuss the affordability crisis that exists that is not a hoax," according to Jeffries' Monday nite video post on X.

"No one will be granted a pass. He went on to highlight the ways House Democrats had opposed the Trump administration, saying, "We're going to hold every single member of the Trump cartel accountable, beginning on day one."

In Trump's second administration, Jeffries has become an outspoken opponent. Despite his repeated insistence that the party is focused on decreasing costs for Americans, which he claims have been driven up by the president's policies, he has not ruled out the possibility of impeaching Trump if House Democrats have the majority next year.

When it was revealed that Jeffries had met with Kushner, numerous commentators took offense. The New York Times was the first to report about the private encounter on Sunday.

In a post on X, former Obama employee and Pod Save America co-host Tommy Vietor stated, "Jared Kushner has no actual government job he just uses his family connections to get money from Gulf autocrats and fund corrupt deals." Subpoenas and document requests are the only ways (Jeffries) should cooperate with him.

The only reason Hakeem Jeffries should meet with Jared Kushner is to inform him that the House will subpoena him for a corruption inquiry on the first day of Democratic control of the House, according to vocal journalist Mehdi Hasan. The House Democratic leader is acting in a pitiful manner.

"There really is no excuse for a secret meeting, especially before the election," said former GOP Representative Adam Kinzinger, a fervent Trump opponent, in a post on X.

Meanwhile, a few well-known Democrats have supported Jeffries.

In a post on X, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker stated, "I also met with Leader Jeffries this week." We both understand that we must do all within our power to hold the Trump cartel accountable.

"I continue to support Congressman Jeffries and his bid to become the leader," declared New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani at a press conference.

Prior to this, Kushner and Jeffries collaborated on The First Step Act, a bipartisan measure that was passed in 2018 with the goal of reducing the number of people incarcerated in federal prisons by, among other things, lowering mandatory minimum sentencing requirements for specific offenses