Karoline Leavitt calls it "frankly despicable" to suggest it is inappropriate for Kushner, whom she says has "great trust and relationships" with Gulf partners, to strike the Gaza peace plan
Karoline LeavittWhite House press secretary at the time, answering a reporter's question at a press briefing
At a White House briefing on October 1, 2025, a reporter asked how the White House decided it was appropriate for Kushner to work on matters involving Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, countries that, the reporter said, had together given him more than $2.5 billion for his investment firm. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt called the suggestion "frankly despicable" and said Kushner "is donating his energy and his time to our government". She referred to the 20-point Gaza plan and to the trust Kushner has with partner countries.
“I think it's frankly despicable that you're trying to suggest that it's inappropriate for Jared Kushner, who is widely respected around the world and has great trust and relationships with these critical partners in these countries, to strike a 20-point comprehensive, detailed peace plan that no other administration would ever be able to achieve … Jared is donating his energy and his time to our government, to the President of the United States, to secure world peace. And that is a very noble thing.”
Original post
Reporting
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
Original post
About this source
A 77-second clip of a White House press briefing posted on October 1, 2025. A reporter asks how the White House decided it is appropriate for Jared Kushner to work on matters involving Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, 'three countries that combined have given him more than $2.5 billion for his investment firm,' and press secretary Karoline Leavitt answers. Leavitt's answer refers to the 20-point Gaza plan and does not mention Affinity Partners. The full briefing transcript was not available to us, so the quotation comes from the clip. The linked archived copy captures only the page shell, not the clip's words, which were checked against the live post and its video.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Reporting
About this source
A Guardian feature on Kushner's role in the October 2025 Gaza ceasefire and his business ties. It quotes Leavitt's answer at a briefing 'earlier this month' and quotes Matt Duss of the Center for International Policy saying there is 'an enormous conflict of interest.'
Before the quotation
Kushner had been working with Steve Witkoff on the 20-point Gaza plan. The question put to Leavitt asked about Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia and the money the reporter said they had given Kushner's investment firm.
After the quotation
The Guardian reported on October 19, 2025 that Leavitt said this at a briefing earlier that month. The White House's later statements say Kushner conducts his diplomatic engagements on a volunteer basis.
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. Leavitt rejects the suggestion that it is inappropriate for Kushner to work on matters involving countries that fund his firm and says he donates his time, which argues the arrangement is proper, so we used Defended or excused. The closest competing label is Challenged the characterization. It loses because she defends the work itself and goes beyond disputing a description of it.
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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
- Karoline Leavitt calls it "frankly despicable" to suggest it is inappropriate for Kushner, whom she says has "great trust and relationships" with Gulf partners, to strike the Gaza peace plan
- First published
- Last updated
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- https://disputeindex.com/events/4571-at-a-white-house-briefing-on-october-1
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Karoline Leavitt calls it "frankly despicable" to suggest it is inappropriate for Kushner, whom she says has "great trust and relationships" with Gulf partners, to strike the Gaza peace plan". First published: 2026-10-05. Last updated: 2026-10-05. https://disputeindex.com/events/4571-at-a-white-house-briefing-on-october-1