A media watchdog is criticizing major news organizations for failing to report on Jared Kushner's financial ties to Saudi Arabia while covering President Donald Trump's controversial U.S.-Saudi nuclear deal.

The deal under discussion would permit U.S. companies to share civilian nuclear technology with Saudi Arabia, which has announced plans to build nuclear power reactors to diversify its energy supply beyond oil. Such agreements, known as Section 123 agreements under the U.S. Atomic Energy Act, have historically drawn intense congressional scrutiny over proliferation safeguards. The proposed Saudi pact has been a subject of debate across multiple administrations, with lawmakers raising concerns about whether Riyadh would accept the strictest nonproliferation commitments known as the Gold Standard.

Judd Legum, founder of the newsletter Popular.info, took to social media to express frustration after White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt faced questioning about the nuclear deal at a press conference. Legum argued that reporters should also be pressing the White House on Kushner's $2 billion financial relationship with the Saudi government.

Legum compiled a list of major outlets that covered the U.S.-Saudi nuclear deal without noting that Kushner — Trump's senior White House adviser during his first term — is receiving payments connected to the Saudi government. The list included The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, the Associated Press, Reuters, CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, The Guardian, Semafor, The Washington Post, Fox News, The New York Post, the BBC, Newsweek, and MS NOW.

In a post on his Substack, Legum characterized the omission as "A media blackout for Kushner's corruption."

Kushner's Affinity Partners and the Saudi Investment

Kushner launched his private equity firm, Affinity Partners, shortly after departing the White House in 2021 following Trump's first administration. The Florida-based firm subsequently received a $2 billion investment from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), according to multiple published reports. The PIF, Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund with assets estimated at over $900 billion, is chaired by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, widely known by the initials MBS.

The transaction drew scrutiny from ethics watchdogs, who pointed to Kushner's prominent role in shaping U.S.-Saudi relations during his tenure in the Trump White House. That role included his involvement in defending bin Salman following the 2018 killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that MBS approved the operation that led to Khashoggi's death at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, a finding the Saudi government has denied.

The Khashoggi killing and Kushner's subsequent financial arrangement with the Saudi sovereign wealth fund have fueled ongoing debates about potential conflicts of interest involving former senior officials and foreign governments. Those concerns have taken on renewed relevance as the Trump administration advances high-stakes diplomatic initiatives — including the proposed nuclear cooperation pact — that directly implicate U.S.-Saudi relations.