The spying scandal involving Trump’s son-in-law that is causing trouble for the Netherlands

A new diplomatic row is looming between the Netherlands and the United States, a relationship already strained by the recent economic sanctions imposed by Trump against the International Criminal Court in The Hague. While the Jetten government is attempting to mend the rift, a report has emerged in recent days that complicates the situation: the Netherlands is alleged to have been hacking the iPhone of Jared Kushner, the U.S. president’s son-in-law, for years for the purposes of financial espionage. This was revealed by Matthew Cole, a respected investigative journalist, in an extract from his new book published as a preview in Vanity Fair.

The affair has all the hallmarks of an intricate spy story: in 2017, the Dutch secret services allegedly arrested a Russian spy and recruited her to work for them, eventually gaining access to the Kremlin’s military intelligence systems. Screenshots from Kushner’s phone were reportedly found there, which were subsequently decrypted. Given Ivanka Trump’s husband’s long history of government consultancy work, various pieces of sensitive information have been leaked. These include the existence of secret bank accounts in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, totalling around 2 billion dollars, through which Kushner is said to have transferred large sums of money to key destinations in Middle Eastern geopolitics – including the Bank of Israel.

Kushner has categorically denied the allegations, not least because, as the journalist points out, the failure to report these transactions – which is mandatory for White House staff – would constitute a breach of US anti-corruption laws. In any case, for the Netherlands this is a highly sensitive issue, particularly if the United States had indeed remained completely unaware of the espionage operation until now. At present, Prime Minister Jetten is sticking to a cautious ‘no comment’, but fears are mounting in The Hague of a ‘reckless diplomatic retaliation’ by the erratic Trump administration. And at that point, sanctions could extend beyond the Court alone.