Apep Bar Investigations | Part 1 of 7 | October 31, 2026
A new book by investigative journalist Matthew Cole alleges that Russian intelligence compromised Jared Kushner’s iPhone in 2017 and that Dutch intelligence subsequently monitored his screen activity. The reporting raises significant counterintelligence questions—but the allegations remain disputed and have not been independently verified in the publicly available record.
What is alleged?
In an October 22 Vanity Fair excerpt from Princes and Thieves, Cole describes Dutch intelligence learning of a Russian GRU intrusion into Kushner’s phone. The account alleges that investigators observed access to financial accounts linked to Middle Eastern governments and substantial transfers. These are the author’s reported claims, not judicial findings.
Kushner’s response
Kushner categorically denied the allegations, stating that the events never occurred. He challenged the author to produce account numbers, bank statements, wire records, and other independently verifiable documentation. CBS News explicitly said it had not independently verified the excerpt. Kushner’s legal team threatened legal action.
What is already documented?
The US Justice Department’s 2018 indictment of 12 Russian GRU officers and the Mueller investigation established a documented investigative record of Russian election interference in 2016. Kushner’s contacts with Russian representatives during and after the campaign were investigated, but those records did not establish that he participated in the hacking. The alleged 2017 compromise of his own phone is a separate question.
Where the Epstein files fit—and where they do not
Publicly indexed Epstein materials include references to Kushner in forwarded news reports and political correspondence, including Saudi-related political developments. An independent index identifies 44 documents mentioning his name, but that count does not mean 44 direct contacts with Epstein. The underlying documents require individual verification against the Justice Department’s official Epstein Library. There is no established documentary link connecting the alleged Russian phone intrusion to an Epstein-related blackmail operation, nor does a mention in Epstein materials establish participation in Epstein’s crimes.
The evidence still needed
Independent forensic or intelligence corroboration of the alleged phone compromise; authenticated ownership and transaction records for any alleged accounts; the relevant government financial disclosures; and original Epstein records establishing the nature of each mention. A genuine counterintelligence concern does not itself prove coercion or wrongdoing.
Sources and further reading
- Matthew Cole, Vanity Fair, October 22, 2026
- CBS News, Kushner’s denials and verification caveat, October 23, 2026
- US Department of Justice Epstein Library
- Independent Epstein document index (verify against originals)
- Mueller Report, Volume I
Editorial note: The seventh planned installment will analyze the fictional Damien Thorn from The Omen as a cultural metaphor for public narratives about privilege and power, not as a factual comparison or evidence of wrongdoing.
