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Kushner boosts Meadows fundraiser in Asheville

U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows, center, visits with Mark Williams, Jeff Miller, Jim Miller and Bill Lapsley at the Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast.

By Bill Moss, Published: September 1, 2017

U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows benefited from a fundraiser Thursday night that attracted about 150 supporters to the Asheville home of Mike Summey, a retired real estate investor. The guests included A-lister Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of President Trump and a senior adviser in the White House.

"Meadows and Kushner have discussed Israel — part of Kushner’s portfolio, and a key issue for Meadows — and he has talked with Ivanka about paid leave, which faces long odds in the Republican Congress," Politico reported in Friday morning's Political Playbook.

"We had a fundraiser and Jared Kushner flew down to help with that," Meadows said Friday morning in Hendersonville, where he attended the Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast and the opening ceremonies of the North Carolina Apple Festival. "The president called in and that was probably the highlight. He was telling the people how much he loves North Carolina."

Politico noted the role of Meadows, "now one of the most powerful men in the Capitol," as a bridge between conservatives in the House and Trump administration.

"Kushner traveling to North Carolina ahead of the long weekend shows the nature of the relationship between Meadows and members of the Trump administration," the report said.

Meadows said he didn't know how much the event raised for his 2018 campaign.

"I just basically thank them for coming," he said in a short interview with the Hendersonville Lightning at the pancake breakfast. "I learned a long time ago that if you focus on people and not politics things have a way of working out. We would rather be here shaking 500 hands and letting people know we care than raising money to buy ads to try to convince them we care."