Trump’s son-in-law Kushner’s phone hacked: Dutch spies allege $2 billion Gulf money trail

Washington: Dutch intelligence officers allegedly gained access to US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner’s iPhone during his first administration and uncovered details of bank accounts linked to more than $2 billion in purported transfers involving Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to a new report by Vanity Fair.

The report, based on an excerpt from investigative journalist Matthew Cole’s forthcoming book, ‘Princes and Thieves: Jared Kushner and Mohamed bin Zayed’s Secret Plot to Remake the Middle East’, alleges that Kushner had access to a UAE-linked bank account that received hundreds of millions of dollars routed through Azerbaijan. It also describes a separate account in Israel that allegedly received around $1 billion intended for Kushner’s personal benefit.

Kushner has strongly denied the allegations, calling them “outrageous fabrications” and insisting that the events described never happened. His lawyer has also rejected the claims, saying there were no such bank accounts.

How Dutch intelligence reportedly accessed Kushner’s phone

According to Vanity Fair, the Netherlands Defence Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD) obtained access to material from a Russian military intelligence hacking operation in late 2017. The material included screenshots from Kushner’s iPhone.

The report alleged that Dutch intelligence officers subsequently identified a vulnerability in the iPhone X that allowed them to view the device’s screen while Kushner was using it. The operation reportedly enabled them to monitor his activity, including his access to a UAE-linked bank account.The account had received hundreds of millions of dollars from a bank in Azerbaijan. Investigators initially suspected that the account was connected to the Azerbaijani government.
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What the report alleges about the $2 billion transfers

The account, identified as “Alpha”, was held at First Abu Dhabi Bank and belonged to the Watani Al Emarat Foundation, a UAE government-funded charity. Kushner was reportedly a signatory, giving him the authority to access the account and potentially conduct transactions, but he was not its owner.

According to the report, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan initially discussed funding a pool of money to support the foreign policy objectives of the first Trump administration.

That proposal allegedly fell through. However, the two leaders subsequently arranged for at least $2 billion to be placed in two or more accounts linked to Kushner.

Nearly $750 million was reportedly transferred into the Alpha account from a bank in Azerbaijan, with the funds intended for foreign policy-related activities. The report also alleged that the charity was used to facilitate covert UAE military and intelligence operations overseas.

A second account, referred to as “Beta”, received around $1 billion routed through Azerbaijan and deposited in Israel. According to the report, the money was intended for Kushner’s personal benefit, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu allegedly encouraged the deposit.

Kushner communicated with Netanyahu about transactions through David Friedman, who was the US ambassador to Israel during Trump’s first term.

Friedman denied any knowledge of or involvement in the alleged arrangement, calling the claims about him “100 per cent false”. Kushner’s legal team also denied that he knew about the account or had any connection to the charity.
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Why the alleged accounts raised questions

The report cited four former senior Trump administration officials, including two national security advisers, a White House chief of staff and a former CIA director, who said they were unaware of any presidential authorisation allowing Kushner to access a foreign government’s bank account.

Kushner’s access to the accounts have raised questions about financial disclosure requirements and potential conflicts of interest during his time as a White House adviser.

The report also cited a former prosecutor who said that, if Kushner had promised to advance the interests of foreign leaders in exchange for money, the arrangement could potentially have raised issues under US bribery and foreign-agent laws.

Kushner calls allegations ‘completely insane’

Kushner rejected the allegations in a post on X, saying they were “completely insane and never happened”.

“We denied every one of these claims on the record, yet the author failed to provide a single shred of evidence to substantiate any of them. No bank statements, wire transfer records, account numbers, transaction dates, or other verifiable details were provided to support these extraordinary accusations,” he wrote.

Kushner also argued that he had been among the most closely scrutinised people in the United States during the period in question, facing extensive media coverage, congressional investigations and a special counsel investigation.

“None of these allegations ever surfaced, because none of these events ever happened,” he said.

Chad Mizelle, Kushner’s attorney, described the claims as “categorically false”, adding that there were no such bank accounts. Asked on social media whether Kushner would sue, Mizelle replied that “all options are on the table”.

Kushner, who is married to Trump’s daughter Ivanka, served as a senior adviser during Trump’s first term and has since returned to a role in the president’s diplomatic efforts, including work alongside special envoy Steve Witkoff.