Kushner Rejects Book Allegations of Hacked iPhone and $2 Billion in Gulf Cash

Jared Kushner rejected claims published Thursday that detail a hacked iPhone and billions of dollars in secret transfers from Middle Eastern leaders. The allegations appear in an excerpt from an upcoming book by journalist Matthew Cole, titled "Princes and Thieves: Jared Kushner and Mohamed bin Zayed's Secret Plot to Remake the Middle East." Kushner called the report baseless and said his legal team is preparing to pursue legal action.

The book asserts that Kushner controlled more than $2 billion in funds from regional leaders, described as "slush money" intended to buy influence in the U.S. government. According to the excerpt, Dutch intelligence agents discovered in 2017 that Russia had hacked Kushner’s device. The Dutch spies reportedly gained access to the phone after turning a Russian agent, allowing them to view his screen and capture images he viewed.

The report states that Dutch spies watched Kushner log into a United Arab Emirates account that received hundreds of millions of dollars from an Azerbaijani bank. It further claims that leaders from Saudi Arabia and the UAE placed at least $2 billion into several accounts tied to Kushner, including one at Israel’s Central Bank. The excerpt says these accounts were often disguised as government bodies or charities to support off-the-books diplomatic goals, such as brokering an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.

The book cites a person with knowledge of the funds 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 attorneys denied every claim on the record. In a statement Thursday night, Kushner said, "The allegations made by this author are completely insane and never happened." He noted that the author provided no bank statements, wire transfer records, account numbers, or transaction dates.

Kushner’s attorney described the claims as "false and defamatory" and indicated the team intends to sue those responsible. The White House also issued a response through Steven Cheung, the president’s assistant and director of communications. Writing on X, Cheung called the source book "complete fiction" and said it was fabricated by a "failed spy thriller writer." He criticized the text for relying on "mysterious words from unnamed sources" without providing documentation.

The excerpt covers Kushner’s time as a senior White House adviser in the first Trump administration, a period when he played a leading role in U.S. Middle East policy. He helped negotiate deals involving Israel, the Gulf states, China, and Russia. CBS News has not independently verified the details presented in the Vanity Fair excerpt.