Kushner's Lawyers Get Ready to Sue Over Book's $2B Gulf Money Story

Jared Kushner is fighting back against a new book that alleges he managed billions in secret Gulf money.

The upcoming title, "Princes and Thieves," claims Kushner had access to more than $2 billion in "slush money funds" from Middle Eastern leaders. The book argues this cash was meant to buy influence within the U.S. government. An excerpt published in Vanity Fair on Thursday details these allegations, which cover Kushner's time as a senior White House adviser.

According to the text, Dutch intelligence agents discovered in 2017 that Russia had hacked Kushner's iPhone. The report states the Dutch service turned a Russian spy to gain access to the device. Once connected, agents could see his screen and capture every image he viewed. The excerpt claims they watched him log into a United Arab Emirates account that allegedly received hundreds of millions of dollars from a bank in Azerbaijan.

The book further asserts that Saudi Arabia and the UAE deposited at least $2 billion into several bank accounts tied to Kushner. One of these accounts was reportedly held at Israel's Central Bank. The text describes the account owners as official government bodies or charities, but says the money was actually for "off-the-books diplomatic objectives." These goals included brokering a deal to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The report cites a "person with knowledge of the money" who 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 denied all claims in statements released Thursday night. "The allegations made by this author are completely insane and never happened," Kushner said. He stated that his side denied every claim on the record, yet the author provided "not a single shred of verifiable evidence." Kushner noted that no bank statements, wire transfer records, account numbers, or transaction dates were included in the book.

His attorney called the claims "false and defamatory" and said they plan to pursue legal action against those responsible. The lawyer did not specify who that would include. Steven Cheung, assistant to the president and White House director of communications, also responded on X. He called the book "complete fiction" fabricated by a "failed spy thriller writer." Cheung argued the book presents no evidence or documentation, only "mysterious words from unnamed sources." CBS News has not independently verified the excerpt.

The book's author, journalist Matthew Cole, has not yet responded to the legal threats. Kushner took a leading part in U.S. Middle East policy during the first Trump administration, helping negotiate major foreign policy deals involving Israel, the Gulf states, China, and Russia. The book is titled "Princes and Thieves: Jared Kushner and Mohamed bin Zayed's Secret Plot to Remake the Middle East."