A secret meeting between the top House Democrat and Jared Kushner was followed almost immediately by a pro-Israel committee appointment, a bad sign for Democratic voters who want a tougher line on Israel.

• Hakeem Jeffries says he met Kushner to talk about the cost of living, but could not name anything they actually discussed.
• Right after the meeting, Jeffries put Jared Moscowitz in charge of the House subcommittee covering the Middle East and North Africa.
• Moscowitz responded by pledging to strengthen the US-Israel relationship, a stance about 80% of Democratic voters oppose.
• Kushner works on foreign policy, not domestic issues, which undercuts the affordability explanation for the meeting.
• No House Democrat has publicly objected, suggesting the party's leadership faces no internal pressure to change course.

Outlook: Expect the gap between Democratic leaders and their own voters on Israel to keep widening as the party heads toward the midterms.