Kushner team plans suit over book

Jared Kushner's legal team is preparing to sue the author of a new book that claims the former White House adviser managed billions in secret money from Gulf states. The lawsuit would target those responsible for the claims, according to statements released Thursday night.

The book, titled "Princes and Thieves: Jared Kushner and Mohamed bin Zayed's Secret Plot to Remake the Middle East," is written by journalist Matthew Cole. It alleges that Kushner had access to more than $2 billion in "slush money funds" from Middle Eastern leaders. The book states this money was intended to buy influence within the U.S. government.

An excerpt of the book was published Thursday in Vanity Fair. The text describes how Dutch intelligence agents discovered in 2017 that Russia had hacked Kushner's iPhone. The Dutch gained access to the device after turning a Russian spy. The excerpt claims the Dutch agents could see Kushner's screen and captured every image he viewed. They reportedly watched him log into a United Arab Emirates account that had received hundreds of millions of dollars from an Azerbaijani bank.

The report claims that leaders from Saudi Arabia and the UAE deposited at least $2 billion into several bank accounts linked to Kushner. One of these accounts was held at the Central Bank of Israel. The book says the account owners were presented as official government bodies or charities. It asserts the funds were for off-the-books diplomatic objectives, including brokering an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The excerpt cites a person with knowledge of the money who said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman placed roughly $1 billion in at least one account for Kushner's personal benefit.

Kushner rejected the claims in a statement released Thursday night. He called the allegations "completely insane and never happened." He noted that his team denied every claim on the record. He said the author provided no bank statements, wire transfer records, account numbers, or transaction dates. Kushner's attorney described the claims as "false and defamatory." The attorney said the team plans to pursue legal action.

Steven Cheung, assistant to the president and White House director of communications, also responded on X. He called the book "complete fiction" and said it was fabricated by a "failed spy thriller writer." Cheung stated the book presents no evidence or documentation, only "mysterious words from unnamed sources."

CBS News has not independently verified the excerpt from the book. The White House directed the outlet to Cheung's statement for comment. The book is scheduled for release in the coming weeks.