Kushner denies Vanity Fair report of secret Gulf and Israel accounts and hacked phone

Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law and special envoy, on Thursday denied a Vanity Fair report that alleges secret money arrangements with Middle Eastern governments. He called the claims “completely insane” and said they “never happened” ¹. The allegations have not been established as findings of wrongdoing ¹.

What the report alleges

The Vanity Fair piece was written by Matthew Cole and excerpted from his book, Princes and Thieves, due out October 27 ¹². It alleges that Dutch intelligence obtained screenshots of Kushner's iPhone from files on a Russian military intelligence operative's server. It further alleges that the Dutch then monitored his phone activity ¹.

According to the report, officials saw Kushner access a bank account at First Abu Dhabi Bank in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is said to have held roughly $750 million and belonged to the Watani Al Emarat Foundation, a charity funded by the UAE government. Kushner was allegedly a signer on the account, not its owner ¹.

The report also alleges that a separate account in Israel received about $1 billion meant for Kushner's personal benefit. It says UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan arranged the transfer. It says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu encouraged the deposit in Israel ¹. IBTimes reports the book describes the money moving through Azerbaijan ².

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The denials

Kushner said on X that the report offered no bank statements, wire-transfer records, account numbers or transaction dates ¹. He said he gave more than 30 hours of testimony to congressional and special counsel investigations during the period in question ¹.

None of these allegations ever surfaced, because none of these events ever happened,

Kushner's attorney, Chad Mizelle, said no such accounts exist. Asked on social media whether Kushner would sue, Mizelle replied, “All options are on the table.” ¹. David Friedman, then the U.S. ambassador to Israel, also denied any knowledge of the alleged money. The report says Kushner passed messages to Netanyahu through Friedman, and Friedman called the claims about him “100% false.” ¹

These are not questions of interpretation or competing recollections: there are no bank accounts. They don’t exist,

Why it matters

That matters because Kushner is again negotiating for the United States. He has taken part in talks on the wars in Gaza and Ukraine and on Iran. He also runs Affinity Partners, a private equity firm that has taken investments from Middle Eastern investors ¹.

Voters can weigh the questions raised when a presidential family member holds both a private business and a diplomatic role, and the public has to rely on denials. The allegations here come from a single journalist's excerpt, and the coverage reviewed does not show independent confirmation of bank records. Kushner's side says none exist ¹².

The IBTimes account of the dispute includes no reaction from Democrats or other members of Congress so far ². The book's release on October 27 comes one week before the November 3 midterm election ². Whether Kushner sues, or whether Congress asks for records, has not been announced.

The Record

1. Oct 22, 2026Vanity Fair publishes an excerpt of Matthew Cole's book alleging secret accounts tied to Jared Kushner; Kushner denies it on X ¹².
2. Oct 27, 2026Cole's book, Princes and Thieves, is scheduled for release ².

Sources

1. Newsweek, “Kushner Rebukes 'Completely Insane' Report Over Hacked Phone, Secret Talks” (2026-10-22). newsweek.com/kushner-rebukes-completely-insane-report-over-h
2. IBTimes UK, “Kushner Blasts Book Claim of a Secret Dubai Account With Millions Tied to UAE President 'Completely Insane'” (2026-10-22). ibtimes.co.uk/jared-kushner-denies-secret-uae-bank-account-a

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