Kushner disputes report on diplomacy and Phoenix investments

Jared Kushner criticized a CNN investigation examining the overlap between his Middle East diplomacy and his investment firm’s financial ties to Phoenix Financial, an Israeli financial services company with investments in businesses supplying equipment or weapons to the Israeli military. Kushner called the report deeply misleading and said it acknowledged no indication his diplomatic actions directly affected the investments. The report said Affinity Partners, the private equity firm Kushner founded, held the largest stake in Phoenix. Phoenix, in turn, had investments in nine companies identified as suppliers to the Israeli military. Affinity does not directly own shares in those companies, according to the report. It found no indication that Kushner’s diplomatic work directly affected Phoenix’s investment decisions. Kushner responded in posts on X that he does not decide what Phoenix buys or sells and that the firm manages investments across thousands of holdings.