Jared Kushner and his legal team issued statements on Thursday, October 22, 2026, denying allegations that he accessed secret bank accounts funded by Middle Eastern leaders while serving as a senior White House adviser. The claims were published in a Vanity Fair excerpt from the book "Princes and Thieves: Jared Kushner and Mohamed bin Zayed's Secret Plot to Remake the Middle East" by journalist Matthew Cole. Kushner characterized the report as "completely insane" and stated that the alleged events never happened.
The report claims that in late 2017, the Netherlands Defense Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD) discovered screenshots of Kushner’s iPhone on a server belonging to a Russian military intelligence (GRU) operative. According to the book, Dutch intelligence then used a vulnerability in the iPhone X to monitor Kushner’s screen activity in early 2018. The MIVD allegedly observed Kushner logging into a United Arab Emirates (UAE) bank account that had received hundreds of millions of dollars from a bank in Azerbaijan.
The book alleges that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ) placed at least $2 billion into accounts linked to Kushner. One account, referred to as "Alpha" at First Abu Dhabi Bank and held by the Watani Al Emarat Foundation, allegedly received roughly $750 million intended as a foreign policy fund for "off-the-books diplomatic objectives." Another account in Israel allegedly received $1 billion intended for Kushner’s personal benefit. Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, named in the report as a conduit for messages regarding these transactions, called the allegations "100% false."
The scale of the reported financial activity involves at least $2 billion in total transfers across multiple accounts, including a specific $750 million transfer to a UAE foundation and $1 billion allegedly designated for personal use. Kushner noted in his response that no bank statements, wire transfer records, account numbers, or transaction dates were provided in the report to substantiate these figures.
The reported activities, if they occurred, took place during a period when Kushner was negotiating Middle Eastern diplomacy, including the Abraham Accords and peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians. Kushner’s attorney, Chad Mizelle, stated that the accounts described in the book do not exist and that "all options are on the table" regarding potential legal action. The book by Matthew Cole is scheduled for release following the Vanity Fair excerpt, while Kushner continues to manage Affinity Partners, a private equity firm with Middle Eastern investors.