Kushner Denies Book: $2 Billion Gulf Fund and Hacked iPhone Claims

Jared Kushner rejected a new book’s central claims on Thursday, stating that he did not manage billions in foreign cash or use a compromised smartphone during his time in the White House. The son-in-law of President Trump issued a sharp denial regarding allegations that he controlled more than $2 billion in funds from Middle Eastern leaders. Kushner called the narrative presented by journalist Matthew Cole "completely insane" and said the events never occurred.

The book, titled "Princes and Thieves: Jared Kushner and Mohamed bin Zayed's Secret Plot to Remake the Middle East," details Kushner’s role in U.S. Middle East policy during the first Trump administration. An excerpt published Thursday in Vanity Fair asserts that Kushner accessed "slush money funds" intended to buy influence within the U.S. government. The text claims these funds came from leaders in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Kushner helped negotiate deals involving Israel, the Gulf states, China, and Russia during this period.

According to the excerpt, Dutch intelligence agents discovered in 2017 that Russian hackers had breached Kushner’s iPhone. The Dutch service reportedly gained access to the device after turning a Russian spy. The account states that agents could view Kushner’s screen and capture images he viewed. The report alleges they watched him log into a UAE account that had received hundreds of millions of dollars from an Azerbaijani bank.

The book further claims that Saudi and UAE leaders deposited at least $2 billion into bank accounts tied to Kushner. One such account was held at Israel's Central Bank. The report says the owners of these accounts were often presented as official government bodies or charities. The money was allegedly meant for "off-the-books diplomatic objectives," including brokering a deal to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A person with knowledge of the money told the author that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman placed roughly $1 billion in at least one account for Kushner's personal benefit.

Kushner’s legal team said the author provided no bank statements, wire transfer records, account numbers, or transaction dates. They described the claims as "false and defamatory" and announced plans to pursue legal action against those responsible. The team did not specify who would be named in the suit. Kushner noted that his side denied every claim on the record, yet the author offered "not a single shred of verifiable evidence."

The White House directed CBS News to a statement from Steven Cheung, assistant to the president and White House director of communications. Writing on X, Cheung called the source book "complete fiction." He described it as a fabrication by a "failed spy thriller writer" that presents only "mysterious words from unnamed sources" without documentation.

CBS News has not independently verified the Vanity Fair excerpt. The book is scheduled for release later this year.