Kushner's Affinity: $2 billion in Saudi money while he negotiates the Middle East

Editor's note: letters from minority members of Congress and reporting document the foreign money in Kushner's firm, but no official finding establishes it.

Jared Kushner - who publicly promised to avoid both government service and Affinity fundraising during the second term - instead became one of the administration's chief Middle East negotiators while his firm deepened its dependence on the governments he negotiates with. Affinity Partners, launched one day after he left the first White House, holds roughly $6.16 billion in assets under management, about 99% of it from foreign nationals, anchored by ~$2 billion from the Saudi Public Investment Fund (approved by MBS over the fund's own advisers' objections) plus Qatari and Emirati money.

Kushner co-led the Gaza ceasefire and 'Board of Peace' framework and shaped Iran and Gulf policy as an informal principal - after having called Gaza 'valuable waterfront property' - and unveiled a ~$30 billion Gaza reconstruction vision at Davos in January 2026. The payers of his firm are the same states with the largest stakes in those negotiations. Senate Finance (Wyden) and House Oversight (Garcia) opened conflict investigations in 2025-26; Wyden had earlier referred Kushner to DOJ over possible Foreign Agents Registration Act violations.

In an April 2026 letter, Rep. Raskin charged that Kushner 'cannot both be a diplomat and a financial pawn of the Saudi monarchy,' arguing MBS's desire to prolong the Iran war 'imposes obvious financial pressure' on the US's 'indispensable' negotiator. The conflict is that the family member steering policy toward Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar is simultaneously on their financial payroll at a scale ($6B+) unmatched in modern diplomacy.