Kushner says what people "call conflicts of interests," he and Witkoff "call experience and trusted relationships"
Jared KushnerFounder and chief executive of Affinity Partners, interviewed with Steve Witkoff by CBS News's Lesley Stahl
In an extended interview with Lesley Stahl that CBS published on October 19, 2025, Kushner answered a question about whether his and Steve Witkoff's business with Gulf states blurs a line in their foreign-policy work. He said he had "volunteered my time" and that neither he nor Witkoff will be involved in awarding contracts or deciding who does business in Gaza afterward. He said, "What people call conflicts of interests, Steve and I call experience and trusted relationships that we have throughout the world."
“I've volunteered my time to help the President and Steve to try to make progress. But Steve nor I will be involved in awarding contracts or figuring out who does business-- you know, in Gaza after. … What people call conflicts of interests, Steve and I call experience and trusted relationships that we have throughout the world. If Steve and I didn't have these deep relationships, the deal we were able to get done, that freed these hostages would not have occurred.”
Interview
Where this statement fits
Does Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners conflict with his role in Middle East negotiations, as congressional Democrats and ethics groups say?
Jared Kushner founded the investment firm Affinity Partners in January 2021. Since 2025 he has taken part in U.S. diplomatic talks on Gaza, Iran and Ukraine. Congressional Democrats, the ethics group CREW and other critics say the two roles conflict. They point to the firm's funding from foreign governments, its stakes in Israeli companies and reports that it sought new capital while he negotiated. Kushner, his lawyers, Affinity and the White House dispute that. A CNN investigation published October 1, 2026 reported that Affinity is the largest shareholder in the Israeli insurer Phoenix Financial, which holds stakes in companies that supply Israel's military, and that CNN found no indication his diplomacy directly affected the investments it reviewed. Kushner replied on October 2 that Phoenix is not a defense company and that he has no role in its investment decisions. The White House says he works on a volunteer basis. As of October 4, 2026, we did not find a ruling or finding on the question from a court, agency or committee, and we could not locate a response from Kushner to two letters from Rep. Jamie Raskin.
Source and context
Interview
About this source
CBS News's video and transcript of the extended version of the interview that was broadcast on 60 Minutes on October 19, 2025. In it Lesley Stahl asks Kushner and Steve Witkoff about perceptions of conflicts of interest from their business ties. Witkoff says he has divested and receives no salary; Kushner says he has volunteered his time and that neither he nor Witkoff will be involved in awarding contracts or deciding who does business in Gaza afterward.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Lesley Stahl said to Kushner and Witkoff that they had done business with the Gulf states while negotiating, which she said had raised issues of conflict and a blurring of a line between foreign policy and financial benefit. Kushner first answered that nobody had pointed out an instance of a policy contrary to the interest of America.
After the quotation
Witkoff said he had divested and receives no salary, and that he and Kushner do not think there was a conflict of interest. The interview preceded President Trump's February 2026 remarks making Kushner an envoy and the March 2026 reports of Affinity's fundraising.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is the proposition that Kushner's private business through Affinity, including its Israeli investments and Gulf capital, creates a conflict of interest with his role in U.S. Middle East negotiations. Kushner rejects the label and argues that his business relationships are what made the hostage deal possible, which argues the arrangement is proper, so we used Defended or excused. The closest competing label is Challenged the characterization, because he disputes what "people call" a conflict. It loses because he goes on to defend the relationships as an asset and commits not to take part in awarding Gaza contracts.
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More from this case
Read the full caseKushner says "Phoenix is not a defense company" and that he has "no role in deciding what Phoenix buys or sells"
“CNN published a deeply misleading story and headline suggesting that my diplomatic work in the Middle East somehow benefited investments in Israeli defense companies. But CNN’s own reporting says otherwise. Buried behind a paywall, it acknowledges: “CNN found no indication that Kushner’s actions as a diplomat directly affected the investments reviewed.” Phoenix is not a defense company. It is one of Israel’s largest publicly traded financial institutions, highly regulated and managing approximately $220 billion across thousands of investments. 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. 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. Affinity is an SEC-registered investment firm. 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. Those facts make for a less provocative headline, but a much more accurate story. 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.”Read statement
The White House says Kushner's "personal business activities have nothing to do with his diplomatic engagements"
“Jared Kushner’s personal business activities have nothing to do with his diplomatic engagements, which he conducts on a volunteer basis at the President’s request”Read statement
CREW's chief ethics counsel tells CNN "the people profiting should not be the people making the decisions to make that policy"
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
“There are always people who profit from war or government policies. The difference is that the people profiting should not be the people making the decisions to make that policy. And that is what is happening here”Read statement
Cite this record
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- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Kushner says what people "call conflicts of interests," he and Witkoff "call experience and trusted relationships"
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- https://disputeindex.com/events/4570-in-an-extended-interview-with-lesley-stahl-that
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Kushner says what people "call conflicts of interests," he and Witkoff "call experience and trusted relationships"". First published: 2026-10-05. Last updated: 2026-10-05. https://disputeindex.com/events/4570-in-an-extended-interview-with-lesley-stahl-that