Kushner Denies Report on Foreign Funds and Threatens Legal Action
Jared Kushner has threatened to sue Vanity Fair over an excerpt from Matthew Cole’s book alleging that Kushner controlled about $2 billion in secret accounts funded by Saudi and Emirati leaders. Kushner called the claims fabricated, and his lawyers said they had sent a detailed denial to the publisher before publication. President Donald Trump also told reporters the story was false.
Kushner’s legal threat follows Vanity Fair’s excerpt from Matthew Cole’s book, which describes accounts allegedly funded by Saudi and Emirati leaders and controlled by Kushner. Lawyer Chad Mizelle said a 13-page denial was sent to Simon & Schuster before publication and questioned Vanity Fair’s verification; he said legal action was intended. Another attorney, Alejandro Brito, said Kushner lacked knowledge of such accounts.
The excerpt also raises disclosure questions because Kushner worked in the White House in 2017, when financial forms and foreign-account disclosures were required. The report alleges he did not identify himself as a foreign agent; the article says bribery and foreign-agent laws could be implicated if something was given in return. Trump called the story false.
The dispute could intensify public scrutiny of financial disclosure and foreign influence questions involving senior officials’ relatives. It may affect how publishers weigh legal risk when reporting on powerful figures, and how readers assess competing claims before courts or regulators resolve them. Kushner, Vanity Fair, and the book’s publisher may face reputational and legal costs; the public may see a more cautious or more contested information environment.