An upcoming book’s excerpt alleges Kushner had access to foreign funds. He and his lawyers deny every claim.
Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, is rejecting allegations in an excerpt from an upcoming book that claims he controlled billions of dollars in undisclosed foreign funds while serving as a White House adviser. The excerpt, from journalist Matthew Cole’s “Princes and Thieves,” was published Thursday by Vanity Fair. CBS News said it could not independently verify the claims.
The excerpt covers Kushner’s time in the first Trump administration, when he helped lead U.S. policy in the Middle East. It alleges Dutch intelligence agents learned Russian hackers had accessed his iPhone and captured images of his screen. It claims the agents saw him log into a United Arab Emirates-linked account that had received hundreds of millions of dollars.
The book further alleges Saudi and Emirati leaders put at least $2 billion into accounts tied to Kushner, including one at Israel’s central bank. It says the money was often routed through entities disguised as government bodies or charities and was meant to fund off-the-books diplomacy. It also claims roughly $1 billion went into at least one other account for Kushner’s personal benefit, citing an unnamed person with knowledge of the funds.
Kushner denied the claims Thursday night, saying the allegations “never happened.” He said the author offered no bank statements, wire records, account numbers or other verifiable details. His attorney, Chad Mizelle, called the claims false and defamatory and said legal action would follow. On Friday, Trump defended Kushner and called the story totally false.
This report draws on CBS News, Forbes, Vanity Fair and TheWrap.