A newly declassified FBI report from the final year of Donald Trump’s first administration reveals that a confidential informant for the Bureau had concluded the president was politically "compromised by Israel," with a significant amount of that influence channeled through his senior advisor and son-in-law, Jared Kushner. The informant characterized Kushner, who led the administration's Middle East policy, as the "real brains" behind the presidency, a claim that casts a long shadow over major policy decisions affecting the region. The document also alleges that the international Orthodox Jewish movement Chabad, through its deep network, was doing "everything they could" to co-opt the Trump presidency, raising critical questions about the impartiality of U.S. foreign policy and the vulnerability of the highest office to external influence.
The report's description of Jared Kushner as the administration's driving intellectual force aligns with his unprecedented and wide-ranging White House portfolio. With no prior government experience, Kushner was entrusted with directing a new Office of American Innovation and was given the lead role in formulating a Middle East peace plan, a task that had eluded generations of seasoned diplomats. His influence was such that he was described by a New York Times columnist as the president's "go-to person for every known problem on the planet". Despite U.S. intelligence agencies reportedly viewing him as a potential security risk due to his business relationships and diplomatic inexperience, Trump personally overruled his chief of staff to grant Kushner a top-secret security clearance, clearing the path for his deep involvement in sensitive foreign policy matters.
This immense political power was underscored by Kushner's complex and opaque financial ties to Israeli interests, which created glaring conflicts of interest. His real estate firm received a critical $30 million investment from one of Israel's largest financial institutions, Menora Mivtachim, just before he accompanied Trump on his first diplomatic trip to Israel. His company also secured multiple loans from Israel's largest bank, Bank Hapoalim, which was under a U.S. Justice Department investigation at the time. These transactions occurred as Kushner was shaping U.S. policy, including efforts to undermine a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning illegal Israeli settlements. This confluence of personal financial benefit and official policy direction suggests a disturbing synergy between private gain and public office that critics have labeled a "toxic mix of nepotism, ineptitude, and corruption".
The FBI informant's allegation of being "compromised" extends beyond Kushner to a broader network of influence centered on the Chabad movement. The report's claim that Chabad worked to "co-opt" the presidency points to a concerted, institutional effort to sway administration policy . This aligns with Kushner's own personal affiliation, as he and his family chose to worship at a politically well-connected Chabad synagogue in Washington, D.C., immediately upon taking up residence in the capital. The intersection of informal religious networks, substantial financial backing from Israeli entities, and the placement of a family member with deep personal and financial ties to Israel at the heart of U.S. policy created an environment where the distinction between American national interests and those of a foreign government became dangerously blurred.