Book Claims Kushner's Hacked Phone Exposed Gulf Money Trail
A book excerpt in Vanity Fair alleges Dutch spies saw Jared Kushner access a Gulf-funded bank account. Kushner calls the claims fabrications.
- $750 million allegedly went into a UAE charity account listing Kushner as signatory.
- $1 billion allegedly went to an Israeli account meant for Kushner's personal benefit.
- $2 billion total allegedly flowed from Saudi and UAE rulers into Kushner-linked accounts.
- Cole alleges transfers went to a warlord, a mercenary and a former hit man.
Why it matters: The allegations concern Kushner's time as a senior White House adviser in Trump's first term. He now negotiates for the administration as special envoy.
- Four senior first-term officials told Cole they knew of no presidential authorization.
- Affinity Partners, Kushner's firm, later received Saudi and UAE government money.
How 6 sources split on this story
Where they split: Coverage divides over whether the mostly unnamed sourcing supports the claims, or whether the missing account records undercut them.
Center coverage, 1 sources: The center pairs Kushner's denial with doubts from Axios reporter Barak Ravid about the excerpt's plausibility.
Left coverage, 5 sources: The left treats the excerpt as evidence that Gulf rulers paid Kushner, possibly in violation of disclosure and bribery laws.
What’s next: Princes and Thieves is set for release Oct. 27 from Atria/One Signal Publishers.
- Asked whether Kushner will sue, attorney Chad Mizelle said, "All options are on the table."
- Can any bank records or documents confirm the accounts Cole describes?
- Will Dutch officials or Congress address the alleged surveillance or the accounts?
