Jared Kushner Rebukes Media Outlet Over 'Deeply Misleading' Report on Mideast Investments

Jared Kushner, a former senior advisor to President Donald Trump, issued a strong public statement on Friday, accusing a prominent news organization of disseminating a "deeply misleading story and headline." He contended that the report improperly suggested his diplomatic efforts in the Middle East yielded benefits for investments held by his firm in Israeli defense sector companies.

Mr. Kushner, who infrequently addresses media coverage publicly, utilized a social media platform to criticize an article published on Thursday, which was accessible only behind a paywall. The report was titled, "How Jared Kushner’s firm’s investment in an Israeli company could be a major conflict of interest."

The article highlighted Mr. Kushner's role as a principal negotiator concerning the conflict in Gaza, noting that his investment company, Affinity Partners, maintained the largest ownership share in an Israeli firm that supported enterprises participating in Israel’s military operations.

Mr. Kushner asserted that the news outlet's own investigative findings contradicted its provocative headline, a crucial detail he said remained hidden from readers who did not possess a paid subscription.

Buried behind a paywall, it acknowledges: ‘CNN found no indication that Kushner’s actions as a diplomat directly affected the investments reviewed,’

Mr. Kushner stated, indicating a significant factual nuance was obscured.

The Report's Allegations

The comprehensive report detailed that the news organization leveraged Israeli financial transparency regulations to identify certain military-related investments of Phoenix Financial, a Tel Aviv-based entity. Mr. Kushner’s investment group reportedly doubled its stake in Phoenix Financial last year, preceding Mr. Trump’s return to the presidential campaign.

According to the same report, "Those records, which include only a fraction of Phoenix’s holdings, show Phoenix has invested hundreds of millions of dollars into Israel’s largest arms manufacturer, Elbit Systems. Phoenix also holds stakes in at least eight other companies providing equipment for the Israeli military ranging from drones to warships to demolition machinery, CNN found."

The report further noted that "All nine companies identified by CNN saw their stock value climb last year, with many stating the war in Gaza had driven demand for their businesses." It clarified that "Affinity doesn’t directly hold a stake in the nine companies CNN identified — but it does stand to reap rewards when Phoenix makes a profit."

The news outlet also mentioned that Mr. Kushner had previously characterized Phoenix as a robust investment opportunity for Affinity.

Kushner's Rebuttal

In his rebuttal, Mr. Kushner asserted that Phoenix is not a defense company, challenging the framing presented by the news organization, and defended his firm’s investment strategy.

It is one of Israel’s largest publicly traded financial institutions, highly regulated and managing approximately $220 billion across thousands of investments,

He elaborated, stating.

Mr. Kushner drew an analogy, explaining, "Think of Phoenix as the Israeli equivalent of Vanguard or Fidelity. It manages the retirement savings of millions of Israelis. The savers don’t choose the individual investments, and neither do I." He further clarified his lack of involvement: "I have no role in deciding what Phoenix buys or sells. It has performed very well for Affinity and our investors, up more than five times since our initial investment."

He also highlighted that Affinity operates as an investment firm registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Our investment in Phoenix is public and dates to before President Trump was re-elected, and before I returned to public service. Affinity does not own the defense companies highlighted in CNN’s story,

Mr. Kushner emphasized.

He concluded his point by stating, "Those facts make for a less provocative headline, but a much more accurate story." He affirmed his resolve, adding, "Misleading stories will not distract me from the work President Trump asked me to do: help end wars, bring people together and pursue peace. That work is too important."

Context and Further Statements

In a subsequent social media update, Mr. Kushner mentioned that he had previously disregarded "false and misleading stories" for a decade. However, he now perceives that "the cycle has gotten out of control where old lies get repeated as fact, new ones get added, and the record becomes increasingly distorted," which prompted his decision to publicly address the matter.

The news organization also published a statement from Mr. Kushner's legal counsel, which was similarly placed behind a paywall.

Mr. Kushner’s attorney was quoted as stating, "Any suggestion that Jared’s diplomatic work influenced Phoenix’s investments in the companies you identify, or vice versa, is incorrect."

Furthermore, a White House spokesperson communicated to the news outlet that the notion linking Mr. Kushner’s personal business endeavors with his diplomatic roles constitutes a "tired narrative that Democrats have pushed against President Trump, his family, and his administration for a decade."