An excerpt from an upcoming book highlighted in Vanity Fair claims that Russian military intelligence hacked the phone of Jared Kushner, a former senior adviser in the Trump White House. This hack supposedly granted access to Middle Eastern bank accounts with at least $2 billion.
The article, released on Thursday, features a passage from Matthew Cole’s book titled “Princes and Thieves: Jared Kushner and Mohamed bin Zayed’s Secret Plot to Remake the Middle East.”
According to the excerpt, this hacking incident took place between 2017 and 2018. It states that Dutch intelligence, after detaining a Russian operative and offering him a choice to assist against Russia or face arrest, gained entry to a Russian intelligence server. This server contained screenshots from Kushner’s iPhone. Dutch operatives eventually devised their own approach to track Kushner’s phone usage.
Cole further alleged that Kushner had access to bank accounts named “Alpha” and “Beta,” which were affiliated with leaders in both the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia.
The so-called Alpha account was reportedly maintained at the UAE’s largest bank and was supervised by the bank’s chairman, who is also the brother of Mohamed bin Zayed, the UAE president.
The author indicated that a transfer of $750 million into the Alpha account was made, which both Kushner and MBZ managed, as part of efforts to broker peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
One source told Cole that Kushner seemed to favor quick solutions in his diplomatic efforts, suggesting a style consistent with Emirati and Saudi leadership. “Kushner assured MBZ that he would advance their interests with Trump if they invested in a fund. He sought normalization with Israel to catalyze business opportunities,” the source said.
Additionally, Dutch intelligence traced significant funds originating from a bank linked to the Azerbaijani government that were funneled into a Dubai account.
Cole noted that whether or not Kushner was a signatory or an owner of the account, federal law likely required him to disclose his access to it. “If this access was not reported to the U.S. government and included in his tax returns, it might have been unlawful,” he wrote.
By the spring of 2018, Cole suggested that the Beta account had facilitated a movement of approximately $1 billion to Israel via Azerbaijan for Kushner, with indications that this money benefited him personally.
Reportedly, one source conveyed to Cole that substantial amounts were transferred to various individuals, including a warlord and a mercenary.
Kushner has denied these allegations, labeling Cole’s claims as “completely insane, categorically false, and never happened.” He asserted that every claim made against him had been publicly rejected, and that the author failed to provide any concrete evidence, like bank statements or records of transactions.
Furthermore, he mentioned that he had been under intense scrutiny during the period in question, and despite extensive media and governmental investigations, none of these allegations surfaced.
“These accusations are outrageous fabrications masquerading as journalism,” Kushner stated. “It’s essentially a concoction of myth, fiction, and biased writing, produced by someone possibly suffering from deep issues or with ill intentions.”
Kushner’s attorney, Chad Mizelle, took a stronger stance, announcing plans for legal action against those perpetuating these “categorically false and defamatory allegations.”
In an official statement, Mizelle asserted that the primary allegation in the book is untrue, stating “there are no bank accounts.” He also emphasized that no evidence substantiating the hacking of Kushner’s phone has emerged, while mentioning that the Jerusalem Post rescinded its reporting on Cole’s assertions after discovering “serious factual discrepancies about the alleged financial dealings.”
