Kushner and Witkoff Turn US Peace Talks Into Private Payday

In a disturbing twist of crony diplomacy, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff have become the unlikely architects of some of the Trump administration’s highest-stakes peace negotiations — all while lining their own pockets. Neither man brings any diplomatic experience to the table, yet both wield outsized influence as Special Envoys for Peace, bypassing Senate confirmation and the transparency that comes with official diplomatic roles.

Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and former senior adviser, helped broker the Abraham Accords but has since plunged headfirst into private equity. His firm, Affinity Partners, is bankrolled by billions from Gulf monarchies, including Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund — a glaring conflict of interest given Kushner’s role in negotiating a detente with Iran, a regional adversary of Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Witkoff, a Manhattan real estate mogul, shares ownership in World Liberty Financial, a crypto firm whose CEO is his son and which has inked controversial investment deals with Pakistan — a key player in US-Iran talks.

This muddling of diplomacy and private business turns foreign policy into a marketplace where access and influence are for sale. Kushner’s “New Gaza” plan, criticized as “real-estate diplomacy,” treats reconstruction as a profit-driven venture, ignoring sovereignty and human rights. Meanwhile, the Trump family’s broader network of allies and relatives cashes in on war and conflict — from Trump’s sons selling drone interceptors to Pentagon contracts awarded to their startups.

The result is a US foreign policy hollowed out by personal loyalty, opaque backroom deals, and blatant conflicts of interest. With Congress unwilling or unable to hold Trump’s circle accountable, norms that once restrained such abuses have eroded. This not only taints specific peace efforts but also damages America’s standing as a reliable global leader.

As Trump’s so-called Board of Peace demands billion-dollar “membership fees” and Mar-a-Lago doubles as a diplomatic marketplace, the line between governance and grift disappears. The human cost of these wars continues to mount, while the US presidency increasingly serves private interests rather than the public good.

This is not diplomacy. It is corruption cloaked in the guise of peacemaking — and it demands urgent scrutiny before the damage becomes irreversible.