Politics
NewsOnScale Staff
October 5, 2026
In February 2026, President Trump formally appointed Jared Kushner as Special Envoy for Peace, giving his son-in-law an official diplomatic role representing the United States in international mediation efforts.
Kushner holds no cabinet position. He was not confirmed by the Senate. He answers to no congressional oversight. He operates as a high-level diplomatic fixer moving between world capitals on behalf of the U.S. government.
He is also the founder of Affinity Partners, a private equity firm that received a $2 billion investment from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund in 2021, shortly after Kushner left the first Trump administration. The PIF is controlled by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Saudi Arabia is a central player in any Middle East peace negotiation.
The man the United States has tasked with brokering peace in the Middle East has a $2 billion financial relationship with one of the most powerful governments in the region.
That conflict of interest has received remarkably little sustained attention.
During the first Trump administration, Kushner was similarly involved in Middle East diplomacy, leading to the Abraham Accords normalizing relations between Israel and several Arab states. Critics noted then that his financial interests in the Gulf created potential conflicts. Those concerns were set aside. He left office. Saudi Arabia invested $2 billion in his fund. He returned to diplomacy.
Kushner also reportedly suggested in a 2024 interview that Gaza's "waterfront property" could be valuable, and that Israel should "clean up" the area while removing civilians. He later walked back the framing but not the substance.
The U.S. government has a special envoy for Middle East peace. That envoy is not a career diplomat. He is not a confirmed official. He is the president's son-in-law with $2 billion in Saudi capital in his private equity fund.
Whether that arrangement produces peace or serves other interests is worth asking before any agreement is signed.
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