Kushner Denies Book Claims of Hacked iPhone and $2 Billion in Foreign Cash

Jared Kushner has rejected allegations from an upcoming book that detail a hacked iPhone, foreign intelligence operations, and billions of dollars in transfers from Middle Eastern governments. The claims come from journalist Matthew Cole’s new work, titled "Princes and Thieves: Jared Kushner and Mohamed bin Zayed's Secret Plot to Remake the Middle East."

An excerpt published Thursday in Vanity Fair outlines the central financial claims. The book asserts that Kushner had access to more than $2 billion in "slush money funds" from regional leaders. The text states these funds were intended to buy influence within the U.S. government. One specific allegation claims Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman placed roughly $1 billion in at least one account, citing a person with knowledge of the money.

The narrative traces the discovery of these funds to a 2017 intelligence breakthrough. The excerpt reports that Dutch agents learned Russia had hacked Kushner’s iPhone after turning a Russian spy. Once Dutch intelligence gained access to the device, they could view the screen and capture every image Kushner viewed. The spies reportedly watched him log into a United Arab Emirates account that had received hundreds of millions of dollars from an Azerbaijani bank.

According to the book, the owners and managers of these accounts were often presented as official government bodies or charities. The text claims the money was actually intended for off-the-books diplomatic objectives, such as brokering a deal to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The excerpt covers Kushner’s years as a senior White House adviser in the first Trump administration, a role in which he took a leading part in U.S. Middle East policy.

Kushner and his legal team issued sharp statements Thursday night denying every claim on the record. "The allegations made by this author are completely insane and never happened," Kushner said. He noted that his side denied all claims yet the author offered not a single shred of verifiable evidence. He pointed out that no bank statements, wire transfer records, account numbers, or transaction dates were provided.

His attorney described the claims as false and defamatory and said they plan to pursue legal action against those responsible. The White House directed CBS News to a statement from Steven Cheung, assistant to the president and White House director of communications. Writing on X, Cheung called the book complete fiction and said it was fabricated by a failed spy thriller writer. He stated the book presents no evidence or documentation, only mysterious words from unnamed sources.

CBS News has not independently verified the excerpt. The book is scheduled for release soon, with the full text expected to expand on the details presented in the Vanity Fair preview.