Kushner Denies Book Allegations of Hacked Phone and Gulf Funds

Jared Kushner has publicly rejected new claims that his iPhone was hacked by Russian intelligence and that he managed billions in unrecorded funds from Middle Eastern leaders. The allegations appear in an upcoming book by journalist Matthew Cole and in an excerpt published in Vanity Fair.

The book, titled "Princes and Thieves: Jared Kushner and Mohamed bin Zayed's Secret Plot to Remake the Middle East," asserts that Kushner had access to more than $2 billion in "slush money funds." The text argues these transfers were intended to purchase influence within the U.S. government during his tenure as a senior White House adviser in the first Trump administration.

According to the excerpt, Dutch intelligence agents identified the hack in 2017 after turning a Russian spy. The report states that the agents accessed Kushner's device and observed him logging into a United Arab Emirates account. The book claims that account had received hundreds of millions of dollars from a bank in Azerbaijan.

The text further alleges that leaders in Saudi Arabia and the UAE placed at least $2 billion into several bank accounts tied to Kushner. One of these accounts was reportedly held at Israel's Central Bank. The author states that the owners and managers of these accounts were often presented as official government bodies or charities, while the money was actually intended for "off-the-books diplomatic objectives." A source described as having knowledge of the money said 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 stated that no bank statements, wire transfer records, or transaction dates were provided to support the claims. His attorney described the assertions as "false and defamatory" and said the team plans to pursue legal action against those responsible, though the specific targets were not named.

The White House also responded to the report. Steven Cheung, assistant to the president and White House director of communications, posted on X that the source book is "complete fiction" fabricated by a "failed spy thriller writer." Cheung argued the publication presents only "mysterious words from unnamed sources" without supporting documentation.

CBS News noted it has not independently verified the excerpt from the book. The publication covers Kushner's role in U.S. Middle East policy, including negotiations involving Israel, the Gulf states, China, and Russia.