Steve Witkoff
Role at the time: U.S. special envoy interviewed on 60 Minutes
Defended or excused
Statement summary
Witkoff endorsed Kushner's argument that their business relationships help diplomacy. He said they did not believe they had crossed ethical barriers.
“we call it experience”
Open the original interview (opens in a new tab)Witkoff defends business relationships as useful diplomatic experience - sourceOctober 19, 2025 full transcript, Witkoff's responses in the conflict-of-interest exchange following Stahl's question about Gulf business ties
Lesley Stahl asked Kushner and Witkoff whether their Gulf business interests created conflicts during negotiations. Witkoff said he had divested, received no salary and paid his expenses. He argued that direct access to regional leaders helped negotiations.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Why we used this label
The reference point is the conflict between private business ties and diplomatic work. Witkoff rejects the conflict characterization and defends the relationships as useful experience.