Jared Kushner has reached billionaire status, a milestone that coincided with a United Nations commission finding on September 16, 2025, that Israel committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, a charge Israel rejected. Kushner’s wealth is tied to his private equity firm, Affinity Partners.
According to an account published by Mother Jones, drawing on the book United States of Oligarchy: How America’s Wealthiest Ally With Dictators by Casey Michel, Affinity has built a $6 billion pool of assets, funded heavily by Saudi, Emirati, and Qatari government money. The reporting describes how Kushner’s closeness to power was converted into personal wealth.
When Kushner launched Affinity in January 2021, the firm’s first pitch deck was widely described as unpolished. One source told The Intercept that potential investors thought the 20-slide presentation was a joke. The fund secured $2 billion from the Saudi sovereign wealth fund after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman overruled his own screening panel, which had flagged concerns including the firm’s inexperience.
The deals span the same regions where Kushner now negotiates for the United States
Kushner currently serves as a special envoy for peace under President Donald Trump, while his financial ties reach into the same regions where he is negotiating on behalf of the United States. He has been involved in talks about the war in Ukraine and the nuclear program in Iran. Reporting has detailed how Kushner and Steve Witkoff drew up early Iran peace terms behind the scenes.
Critics, including Sen. Ron Wyden and Rep. Jamie Raskin, have raised concerns that Kushner may be violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act. During a House investigation Rep. James Comer reportedly instructed a consultant close to Kushner to tell him to “f— off” when the consultant pushed back against ethical scrutiny.
The structure of the deals has also drawn concern. According to the reporting, contracts with Saudi and Qatari investors allow them to pull their money after five years. Critics quoted in the account describe this as a financial risk hanging over the federal government, since a withdrawal could affect the firm during a presidential term.
Kushner’s career has long drawn questions about influence and money. Before his time in the White House, his family’s real estate firm struggled with its purchase of 666 Fifth Avenue. The property was a financial problem until a Qatari-backed company helped restructure the debt, a deal that occurred while the Trump administration was dealing with a regional blockade of Qatar. Those involved denied a connection.
His business dealings continue to draw outside review, with Albanian prosecutors investigating a luxury resort project linked to Kushner. As a key figure in the current administration, Kushner sits at the center of major geopolitical issues.
His peace plan for Ukraine was criticized as a reworked version of a document drafted by a Russian official. His negotiations with Iran were described by some experts as a strategic failure, with Kelsey Davenport of the Arms Control Association saying the US team appeared to lack basic facts about the nuclear program.
Despite these outcomes and the conflicts of interest raised by critics, Kushner remains central to the administration’s foreign policy. The Mother Jones account argues that, for those leading these efforts, the pursuit of profit has at times taken priority over traditional diplomatic norms. United States of Oligarchy: How America’s Wealthiest Ally With Dictators will be released on August 4, 2026
Published: Jun 10, 2026 03:45 pm