Kushner Sues Over Book Alleging $2 Billion in Secret Gulf Accounts
The journalist's manuscript claims Dutch spies found evidence of massive foreign transfers during Kushner's time in the first Trump administration.
By Elizabeth Morales ·
Jared Kushner rejected new claims linking him to billions in unreported funds from the Middle East. The allegations appear in a forthcoming book by journalist Matthew Cole.
The book, titled Princes and Thieves: Jared Kushner and Mohamed bin Zayed's Secret Plot to Remake the Middle East, asserts that Kushner accessed more than $2 billion in slush money from regional leaders. It says the cash was intended to buy influence within the U.S. government.
A Vanity Fair excerpt published Thursday details how Dutch intelligence agents allegedly learned of a hacked iPhone in 2017. The report states that agents turned a Russian spy and then gained access to Kushner's device. It claims they could see his screen and captured every image he viewed.
According to the text, the Dutch spies watched Kushner log into a United Arab Emirates account. That account reportedly received hundreds of millions of dollars from a bank in Azerbaijan. The book further alleges that Saudi Arabia and the UAE placed at least $2 billion into several accounts tied to Kushner. One of these was held at Israel's Central Bank.
The manuscript suggests the account owners were presented as official government bodies or charities. It states the money served off-the-books diplomatic objectives, including brokering a deal to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The report claims Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman placed roughly $1 billion in at least one account for Kushner's personal benefit.
Kushner and his legal team issued statements Thursday night denying the findings. Kushner called the allegations completely insane and never happened. He said his side denied every claim on the record, but the author provided no verifiable evidence. He noted that no bank statements, wire transfer records, account numbers, or transaction dates were provided.
His attorney described the claims as false and defamatory. The legal team said they plan to pursue legal action against those responsible. Steven Cheung, assistant to the president and White House director of communications, wrote on X that the book is complete fiction. He called the author a failed spy thriller writer and said the piece relies on mysterious words from unnamed sources.
Source: CBS News
