President Donald Trump’s son-in-law vowed this week to legally challenge allegations made in a new book that he used his proximity to the White House to engage in lucrative backroom deals with foreign countries.
Journalist Matthew Cole made the allegations in his book set for release on Tuesday, titled Princes and Thieves: Jared Kushner and Mohamed bin Zayed’s Secret Plot to Remake the Middle East. In an excerpt of the book published in a Vanity Fair article, Cole suggested that Jared Kushner profited to the tune of billions from deals he secretly made with Middle Eastern leaders in exchange for influencing U.S. foreign policy when he served as a senior White House adviser during Trump’s first term.
Kushner fought back, stating that the book is full of “categorically false allegations” that are not backed by “a single shred of verifiable evidence.” Kushner’s lawyer responded to Cole’s “false and defamatory allegations” Thursday, saying he intends to pursue legal action “against those responsible and hold them accountable.”
“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,” attorney Chad Mizelle said, putting book publisher Simon & Schuster under threat of litigation shortly before the book’s scheduled Oct. 27 release.
Kushner is married to Trump’s oldest daughter, Ivanka Trump. He is known as one of the president’s top diplomats, working in tandem with special envoy Steve Witkoff to negotiate agreements in Gaza while also seeking peace deals in the Iran and Russia-Ukraine wars.
As CEO of global investment firm Affinity Partners, Kushner has touted his contacts worldwide, arguing that such relationships have helped him build connections that give him leverage when talking to officials and hashing out peace deals.
Still, he has come under attack from critics who say the Affinity Partners CEO has a “heightened risk of financial conflicts of interest” as he deals with foreign leaders. This month, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington sued to block Kushner from engaging in peace negotiations, alleging he is breaking the law by acting in a top diplomatic role without undergoing Senate confirmation or filing financial disclosures.
Cole’s new book marks the latest attack on Kushner’s business dealings while in the Trump administration.
Cole reported that Kushner logged into a United Arab Emirates account that had allegedly received hundreds of millions of dollars from a bank in Azerbaijan. Cole also claimed that Saudi and Emirati officials put at least $2 billion into bank accounts that Kushner could access for his “personal benefit,” in exchange for influencing the U.S. government.
Kushner denied all allegations Thursday.
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“No bank statements, wire transfer records, account numbers, transaction dates, or other verifiable details were provided to support these extraordinary accusations,” he said in a statement to X. “It is deeply disappointing that Vanity Fair would publish such extraordinary accusations without independently verifying them. This is not journalism. It is fiction being presented as fact.”
“Credibility matters, and serious allegations deserve serious scrutiny,” Kushner said in another post.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
