U.S. Representative Bill Keating of Massachusetts asked the White House’s top ethics official on Friday to explain Jared Kushner’s employment status in the Trump administration, saying Americans “deserve answers” about what he called reported conflicts of interest.
“Today I sent a letter to the White House Ethics Official demanding information about Jared Kushner’s employment status. With recent reporting indicating Kushner had access to secret foreign bank accounts, Americans deserve answers about these reported conflicts of interest,” Keating, a Democrat, wrote in a post on X on Friday evening that included the letter.
The Oct. 23 letter, addressed to Scott F. Gast, deputy counsel to the president and the White House’s designated agency ethics official, says Kushner’s role in negotiations “including with Russia, Ukraine, and Iran has reportedly taken place outside of any formal designation as a special government employee,” despite Trump’s February announcement that Kushner would serve as a special envoy for peace.
Keating wrote that Kushner should be required, “at a minimum, to file a public financial disclosure report,” and that his “personal financial stake in the work he carries out on behalf of the United States presents gravely damaging conflicts of interest.” He asked whether Kushner has agreed in writing to recuse himself from matters affecting his investment firm, Affinity Partners, “such as those involving Israel, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Russia, and/or Ukraine,” and requested answers by Nov. 6.
The letter also notes that Steve Witkoff, whom Trump likewise named a special envoy for peace, “has publicly released financial disclosure forms,” and asks the White House to explain any difference between the two men’s employment status. Trump said at the inaugural Board of Peace meeting on Feb. 19, “we’re making Jared an Envoy also—Envoy of Peace,” according to the official transcript of his remarks.
The letter does not mention bank accounts. The “recent reporting” in Keating’s post appeared to refer to an excerpt published by Vanity Fair on Oct. 22 from investigative journalist Matthew Cole’s forthcoming book, “Princes and Thieves.” The excerpt alleges, citing unnamed sources, that the leaders of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia put at least $2 billion into at least two bank accounts for Kushner during Trump’s first term, one in Abu Dhabi on which he was allegedly a signatory and one at Israel’s central bank.
Kushner has denied the allegations. “The allegations made by this author are completely insane and never happened,” he wrote in a post on X on Oct. 22. “No bank statements, wire transfer records, account numbers, transaction dates, or other verifiable details were provided to support these extraordinary accusations.”
His lawyer, Chad Mizelle, wrote that he had sent the book’s publisher, Simon & Schuster, “a detailed 13-page letter” before publication and that “we intend to pursue legal action against those responsible,” in a separate post on X. The Jerusalem Post said in a statement on X on Friday that it had removed its own article on the allegations after identifying “significant factual questions about the alleged financial transactions.”
Trump also rejected the report on Friday. Asked by a reporter at the White House about a book saying Kushner had access to $2 billion from Middle Eastern countries, he called it “a totally false story,” according to White House video of the exchange.
The White House has previously said Kushner is not subject to ethics disclosure rules. White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said Kushner “is acting in his capacity as a private citizen; therefore, he is not subject to disclosure requirements,” in a statement to The Atlantic magazine in April.
Keating is the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Europe. His description of Kushner’s “gravely damaging conflicts of interest” and his reference to “secret foreign bank accounts” are his characterizations; the bank account claims come from a book excerpt based on unnamed sources, have not been independently verified, and have been denied by Kushner and Trump. On the record, the White House has said Kushner acts as a private citizen and is not subject to disclosure requirements, and no public financial disclosure for him has been released.