Jared Kushner's Team Files Challenge Against 'Princes and Thieves' Author Over Money Claims

Jared Kushner is formally rejecting a new book that claims he controlled billions in hidden Gulf accounts and used a hacked iPhone to manage them. The legal team for the former White House adviser says the story lacks basic financial records.

The book, titled Princes and Thieves, is authored by Matthew Cole. It is scheduled for release soon. An excerpt appeared in Vanity Fair on Thursday. The text details Kushner's tenure as a senior adviser during the first Trump administration. In that role, he helped shape U.S. policy in the Middle East, including deals with Israel, the Gulf states, China, and Russia.

The excerpt describes a 2017 intelligence discovery. It claims Dutch agents learned that Russian hackers had accessed Kushner's phone. The Dutch service reportedly gained their own access after turning a Russian spy. The book states that agents could see the device's screen and capture every image Kushner viewed while using it.

According to the text, the spies watched Kushner log into a United Arab Emirates account. That account had allegedly received hundreds of millions of dollars from a bank in Azerbaijan. The book asserts that Saudi Arabia and the UAE deposited at least $2 billion into several accounts tied to Kushner. One of these accounts was held at Israel's Central Bank. The owners of the accounts were often listed as official government bodies or charities.

The book says the money was intended for off the books diplomatic goals. One specific claim states that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman placed roughly $1 billion into a single account. A source cited in the text said that allocation was for Kushner's personal benefit.

Kushner responded on Thursday night. He called the allegations completely insane and said they never happened. His team stated that the author provided no bank statements, wire transfer records, account numbers, or transaction dates. His attorney described the claims as false and defamatory. The legal team plans to pursue legal action against those responsible, though they did not specify who that includes.

The White House also issued a reaction. Steven Cheung, an assistant to the president and White House director of communications, posted on X. He called the book complete fiction. He described the author as a failed spy thriller writer and said the story relies on mysterious words from unnamed sources rather than documentation.