NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Trump senior adviser Jared Kushner accused CNN of publishing a “deeply misleading story and headline” suggesting its “diplomatic work in the Middle East somehow benefited investments in Israeli defense companies” in a fiery social media post on Friday. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, who rarely criticizes the media publicly, took to “a major conflict of interest,” which was published Thursday. The report noted that Kushner acted as a key negotiator regarding the war in Gaza, while his company, Affinity Partners, “had the largest stake in an Israeli firm that backs companies involved in Israel’s military campaigns.” misleading story and headline.” (Andriy Zhyhaylo/Getty Images) Kushner argued that CNN’s own reporting contradicts the headline, but said readers without a paid subscription to the website were left in the dark. “Buried behind a paywall, it acknowledges: ‘CNN found no indication that Kushner’s actions as a diplomat directly impacted the reviewed investments,'” Kushner wrote. In fact, CNN said it found no indication that Kushner’s actions as a diplomat directly impacted investments, but that point was buried 10 paragraphs deep and was only visible to paid CNN subscribers. The lengthy report said: “CNN used Israeli financial transparency laws to track some of the military-linked investments of Phoenix Financial, a Tel Aviv-based firm in which Kushner’s investment group doubled its stake last year, shortly before Donald Trump returned to the Oval Office.” between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the State Dining Room of the White House on September 29, 2025, in Washington, DC (Alex Wong/Getty Images) Those records, which include only a fraction of Phoenix’s holdings, show that Phoenix has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in Israel’s largest weapons maker, Elbit Systems. Phoenix also has stakes in “At least eight other companies that provide equipment for the Israeli military, from drones to warships and military machinery. demolition, CNN found,” according to the report. “All nine companies identified by CNN saw their stock values rise last year, and many said the war in Gaza had boosted demand for their businesses,” the CNN report continued. “Affinity does not directly have a stake in the nine companies CNN identified, but it will reap rewards when Phoenix turns a profit.” CNN also noted that Kushner described Phoenix as a strong investment for Affinity. In his response, Kushner said Phoenix is not a defense company, despite the framework CNN, and defended his company’s investments. “It is one of Israel’s largest publicly traded financial institutions, highly regulated and managing approximately $220 billion in thousands of investments,” Kushner “Think of Phoenix as the Israeli equivalent of Vanguard or Fidelity. Manages the retirement savings of millions of Israelis. Savers don’t choose individual investments, and neither do I,” Kushner continued. “I have no role in deciding what Phoenix buys or sells. It has performed very well for Affinity and our investors, more than five times since our initial investment.” Kushner added that Affinity is an SEC-registered investment firm. “Our investment in Phoenix is public and dates back to before President Trump was re-elected and before I returned to public service. Affinity does not own the defense companies highlighted in the CNN story,” Kushner wrote. “Those facts make for a less provocative headline, but much more of a more accurate story,” he continued. “Misleading stories will not distract me from the work President Trump asked me to do: help end wars, unite people, and seek peace. That work is too important.” A CNN spokesperson told Fox News Digital that “we stand by our reporting.” Trump/Instagram) In a separate post, Kushner said he has ignored “false and misleading stories” for the past decade, but “the cycle has gotten out of control where old lies are repeated as facts, new ones are added, and the record becomes increasingly distorted,” so he felt the need to respond. CNN published a statement from Kushner’s attorney, which was also hidden behind the wall. vice versa, is incorrect,” the lawyer told CNN. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP The White House spokesperson also told CNN that the suggestion that Kushner’s personal business activities have anything to do with his diplomatic engagements is a “tired narrative that Democrats have pushed against President Trump, his family and his administration for a decade.” Brian Flood is a media editor and reporter for FOX News Digital. Story tips can be sent to brian.flood@fox.com and on Twitter: @briansflood.
