Jared Kushner accused CNN on Friday of publishing a “deeply misleading” story that he said inaccurately linked his diplomatic work in the Middle East to Israeli defense companies
“CNN published a deeply misleading story and headline suggesting that my diplomatic work in the Middle East somehow benefited investments in Israeli defense companies,” President Trump’s son-in-law and Special Envoy for Peace shared on X. “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.’”
CNN reported Thursday that Kushner’s private equity firm, Affinity Partners, is the largest shareholder in Phoenix Financial, an Israeli financial institution that holds investments in at least nine companies supplying military equipment to Israel. The news outlet also reported that Affinity does not directly own stakes in those companies.
Kushner went on to explain that the company in question is not a defense company but rather one of “Israel’s largest publicly traded financial institutions,” akin to Vanguard or Fidelity. He further noted that his investment in it through Affinity predated Trump’s re-election as well as his own return to public service.
“Misleading stories will not distract me from the work President Trump asked me to do: help end wars, bring people together and pursue peace,” Kushner further noted. “That work is too important.”
“For the last 10 years, I have ignored false and misleading stories about me and focused on the work. But the cycle has gotten out of control where old lies get repeated as fact, new ones get added, and the record becomes increasingly distorted,” he added in a separate tweet. “So from time to time, I’m going to respond, not to every allegation. But when the truth matters, I’ll put the facts and supporting information out publicly, and people can judge for themselves.”
TheWrap has reached out to CNN for comment regarding its Thursday piece, entitled: “How Jared Kushner’s firm’s investment in an Israeli company could be a major conflict of interest.”
Kushner’s comments notably come as his father-in-law continues to feud with CNN over the news network’s White House press pool access.
