Trump calls allegations Jared Kushner had access to $2B in Middle Eastern funds ‘totally false’
WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump on Friday, October 23, rejected allegations that his son-in-law and special envoy Jared Kushner had access to financial accounts linked to roughly $2 billion in transfers involving Middle Eastern interests, calling the claims “a totally false story.”
The allegations first stemmed in a Vanity Fair report based on an excerpt from an upcoming book by journalist Matthew Cole, which describes purported Dutch intelligence monitoring of Kushner’s phone activity. Kushner has also denied the claims.
Donald Trump, Jared Kushner deny allegations of secret financial arrangements
As he left the White House, Trump was asked about the report. “It's a false story. It's a totally false story,” Trump said. “It was totally an incorrect story. It was just fake news. Amazing.”
Q: A new book says Jared Kushner had access to $2 billion from Middle Eastern countri--- TRUMP: It's a false story. It's a totally false story. Totally an incorrect story. It was just fake news. Amazing https://t.co/AnPhsbhIw9
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 23, 2026
The report, written by Matthew Cole and excerpted from his forthcoming book Princes and Thieves: Jared Kushner and Mohamed bin Zayed’s Secret Plot to Remake the Middle East, alleges that the Dutch intelligence obtained screenshots of Kushner’s iPhone from files found on a Russian military intelligence operative’s server. According to the report, investigators subsequently monitored his phone activity in 2018.
The article alleges that Kushner was a signatory on an account at First Abu Dhabi Bank associated with the Watani Al Emarat Foundation, a UAE government-funded charity, into which roughly $750 million had been transferred from a bank in Azerbaijan. The report says that Kushner was not the account’s owner and alleges that the account was intended to support foreign policy activities.
A separate allegation concerns roughly $1 billion reportedly transferred to an account in Israel that the report says was intended for Kushner’s personal benefit. It alleges that UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan arranged the transfer and that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu encouraged the money to be deposited in Israel.
The allegations have not been established as findings of wrongdoing. Kushner on Thursday, October 22, denied them in a post on X, arguing that the report did not provide bank statements, wire-transfer records, account numbers or transaction dates to substantiate its claims.
“We denied every one of these claims on the record, yet the author failed to provide a single shred of evidence to substantiate any of them,” Kushner wrote.
.@VanityFair posted an excerpt from a book containing outrageous and categorically false allegations. The allegations made by this author are completely insane and never happened. We denied every one of these claims on the record, yet the author failed to provide a single shred of evidence to substantiate any of them. No bank statements, wire transfer records, account numbers, transaction dates, or other verifiable details were provided to support these extraordinary accusations. During the period in question, I was one of the most scrutinized people in the world, subjected to intense media coverage, multiple congressional investigations, and a special counsel investigation. I voluntarily cooperated with these investigations, providing over 30 hours of testimony. None of these allegations ever surfaced, because none of these events ever happened. These are outrageous fabrications being presented as investigative journalism. This is not journalism. It is a mixture of fantasy, fiction, and advocacy, written by someone who is either deeply disturbed or acting with sinister intent.
— Jared Kushner (@jaredkushner) October 22, 2026
“None of these allegations ever surfaced, because none of these events ever happened,” he added. He described the claims as “outrageous fabrications being presented as investigative journalism” and “a mixture of fantasy, fiction, and advocacy.”
White House condemns report as Jared Kushner’s attorney considers legal action
The White House also defended Kushner and accused the network of publishing unsubstantiated allegations. White House principal deputy press secretary, Anna Kelly, described the claims as “baseless smears” and argued that the report lacked credible evidence.
Kelly also defended Kushner’s diplomatic work, including efforts involving Israeli hostages and talks between Russia and Ukraine.
Kushner’s attorney, Chad Mizelle, said his legal team had sent publisher Simon & Schuster a 13-page letter disputing the allegations before publication. He questioned what independent verification the magazine had conducted and said the team intended to pursue legal action against those responsible.
Before publication, we sent Simon & Schuster a detailed 13-page letter responding to and categorically denying the extraordinary allegations made against my client, Jared Kushner, and challenging the total absence of supporting evidence. Vanity Fair has now published an excerpt amplifying these false and defamatory allegations. We have seen no credible evidence substantiating any of these claims, and we question what independent verification Vanity Fair conducted before publishing them. We intend to pursue legal action against those responsible and hold them accountable.
— Chad Mizelle (@chad_mizelle) October 22, 2026
“Vanity Fair has now published an excerpt amplifying these false and defamatory allegations. We have seen no credible evidence substantiating any of these claims, and we question what independent verification Vanity Fair conducted before publishing them,” Mizelle wrote on X.
