Kushner Denies Allegations of Secret Saudi-UAE Financial Deal

Vanity Fair magazine has published excerpts from a new book by Matthew Cole, "Princes and Thieves," which alleges a secret financial mechanism linking Jared Kushner, former advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump, to funds from Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The book claims that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was involved in arranging the deposit of approximately $1 billion into an account at the Bank of Israel.

According to the book, the information is based on intelligence materials and anonymous testimonies, including a hack of Kushner's phone by Dutch military intelligence in early 2018. The intelligence reportedly accessed screenshots from Kushner's phone via a Russian hacker, revealing alleged transfers of at least $2 billion from entities linked to UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman into accounts managed by or accessible to Kushner. These funds were allegedly distributed into two main accounts, "Alpha" and "Beta," with "Beta" reportedly holding about $1 billion in Saudi and Emirati funds managed secretly through the Bank of Israel, with Azerbaijani mediation, for Kushner's personal benefit.

The book further alleges that Netanyahu encouraged Kushner to deposit the $1 billion into the Bank of Israel under the guise of a government account to obscure the link between the Emirati money and Kushner. It suggests Netanyahu asked Kushner to inform him of any transactions from the account, with messages relayed through former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman. The funds were allegedly later moved from the "Beta" account in Israel through Cypriot banks to other global destinations.

Kushner, through his lawyer and a post on X, has vehemently denied all accusations, calling them "shockingly false" and stating that his team has officially refuted them. He asserted that no evidence was provided and that the book presented a "mix of fiction, fabrication, and hearsay." Kushner pointed out that he underwent extensive investigations and provided over 30 hours of testimony without these claims ever being raised, concluding that "none of these events ever happened."

Former Ambassador David Friedman also dismissed the claims as "100% false" and stated he had no knowledge of or involvement in such a mechanism. Separately, CNN reported last month that Kushner is investing in the Israeli insurance company "Hfenix," indirectly exposing him to investments linked to the Israeli military industry.