Disputes over conflicts of interest, financial disclosure and ethics rules for public officials and for the people who work with them in government.
Published coverage on this page: 1 case · 6 statements. Statements are ordered newest first.
Congressional Democrats and ethics groups say Jared Kushner's investment firm, Affinity Partners, conflicts with his role in Middle East negotiations. Kushner, his lawyers and the White House dispute that. CNN found no indication his diplomacy directly affected the investments it reviewed.
Published
Read the caseLabels describe a response to the linked claim or the action explained in the statement summary. Choose one or more.
6 matching statements
Role at the time: Founder and chief executive of Affinity Partners, posting on his own X account
Response to this claim
Phoenix is not a defense company, Jared Kushner has no role in deciding what Phoenix buys or sells, and Affinity Partners does not own the defense companies CNN highlighted.
Quotation excerpt
“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…”
“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.”
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 disputes CNN's description of Phoenix, denies a role in its decisions and argues the investment is public and predates his return to public service, which argues the arrangement is proper, so we used Defended or excused. The closest competing labels are Challenged the characterization, which would fit if he had only disputed the "defense company" label, and Denied, which fits his statements of fact about Phoenix but not his argument that the arrangement is acceptable.
Role at the time: White House principal deputy press secretary, in a statement to CNN
Response to this claim
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.
“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”
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. Kelly says the business and the diplomacy have "nothing to do with" each other and points to his volunteer status and record, which argues that no conflict exists, so we used Defended or excused. The closest competing label is Denied, because she rejects the premise that the two are connected. It loses because the statement rests on the arrangement being acceptable (volunteer service at the President's request) and does not deny a specific alleged fact.
Role at the time: Lawyer for Jared Kushner, in a statement quoted by Reuters
Response to this claim
Jared Kushner's simultaneous roles as Special Envoy for Peace and chief executive of Affinity Partners, which has raised billions of dollars from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, create a glaring and incurable conflict of interest.
“And to date, no one — not even Jared’s critics — has identified a single applicable rule or regulation he has violated”
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. Mizelle argues that no applicable rule has been shown to be violated, which defends the arrangement as compliant, so we used Defended or excused. The closest competing label is Denied, because Reuters also reports that he called the allegations false. It loses because the quoted words argue about rules and do not deny a specific alleged fact.
Role at the time: Affinity Partners, through chief legal officer Ian Brekke, in a statement to The New York Times
Response to this claim
It appears that while Jared Kushner is representing the U.S. government in negotiations in the Middle East, he is simultaneously seeking to raise at least $5 billion in additional foreign capital for Affinity Partners, which Rep. Robert Garcia and Sen. Ron Wyden say raises the potential for conflicts of interest that could threaten national security.
“early conversations … does not intend to take in any additional capital while Jared is volunteering for the government. … abided by all laws and regulations and will continue to do so.”
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. The statement says the firm has complied with all laws and will not take in new capital while Kushner volunteers, which defends the arrangement, so we used Defended or excused. The closest competing label is Mixed or conditional, because it confirms fundraising conversations took place and makes its pledge depend on Kushner "volunteering". It loses because the condition is a commitment about Affinity's own conduct and the statement as a whole defends the firm.
Role at the time: Founder and chief executive of Affinity Partners, interviewed with Steve Witkoff by CBS News's Lesley Stahl
Statement summary
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."
Quotation excerpt
“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…”
“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.”
What this label refers to
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.
Role at the time: White House press secretary at the time, answering a reporter's question at a press briefing
Statement summary
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.
Quotation excerpt
“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…”
“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.”
What this label refers to
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.
Jared Kushner is an American businessman and investor. He founded the Florida-based private equity firm Affinity Partners in 2021, previously ran his family's real estate company Kushner Companies, and served as a senior adviser to President Donald Trump during Trump's first term, when he worked on Middle East policy including the Abraham Accords. Since 2025 he has taken part in U.S. diplomatic talks on Gaza, Iran and Ukraine.
1 case and 2 statements
White House spokesperson.
1 case and 1 statement
Chad Mizelle is an American lawyer. He served as chief of staff and acting general counsel at the Department of Homeland Security, worked as chief legal officer of Affinity Partners, and then served as chief of staff and acting associate attorney general at the U.S. Department of Justice in 2025. He has acted as a lawyer for Jared Kushner.
1 case and 1 statement
Donald K. Sherman is president and chief executive officer of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a government-ethics watchdog group. A lawyer who joined CREW in 2018, he previously held oversight and policy roles in the House, the Senate and the White House Domestic Policy Council and at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
1 case and 2 statements
Jeff Hauser is the founder and executive director of the Revolving Door Project, a Washington, D.C. watchdog group that monitors the executive branch and the officials who move between government and private industry. His areas of focus include executive branch appointments, government ethics and corporate political influence.
1 case and 1 statement
Jamie Raskin is a Democratic United States representative from Maryland and a constitutional-law scholar. He serves on the House Judiciary Committee and previously taught constitutional law.
1 case and 1 statement
Elizabeth Warren is a Democratic U.S. senator representing Massachusetts, serving in the Senate since 2013. Before entering the Senate, she was a law professor and helped establish the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
1 case and 1 statement
United States representative for California's 42nd Congressional District and ranking member of the House Oversight Committee.
1 case and 1 statement
Ron Wyden is a Democratic United States senator representing Oregon.
1 case and 1 statement
American political spokesperson who served as White House press secretary from January 2025 to August 2026 and was the Republican nominee for New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District in 2022.
1 case and 1 statement
