David Kenner
- Contributor, Freelance
- Reporter and Middle East Coordinator, The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ)
Washington, D.C.
Reporter/Middle East coordinator @ICIJorg. Words in @TheAtlantic. Middle East editor @ForeignPolicy once upon a time.
Leak to me: davidkenner@protonmail.com
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Articles by David Kenner
Trump administration gave firm with ties to ballroom donor the green light to do business with a sanctioned Russian bank
A company linked to a major Trump donor received authorization from the Treasury Department to complete an acquisition involving a sanctioned Russian bank, according to public records. The Texas-based Dynamic Frontier Holdings purchased Teghut, one of Armenia’s largest copper mines, this summer. Dynamic Frontier’s manager is Konstantin Sokolov, a Russian-American businessman who was one of three dozen private donors to President Donald Trump’s $350 million White House ballroom project.
Trump administration gave firm with ties to ballroom donor the green light to do business with a sanctioned Russian bank
A company linked to a major Trump donor received authorization from the Treasury Department to complete an acquisition involving a sanctioned Russian bank, according to public records. The Texas-based Dynamic Frontier Holdings purchased Teghut, one of Armenia’s largest copper mines, this summer. Dynamic Frontier’s manager is Konstantin Sokolov, a Russian-American businessman who was one of three dozen private donors to President Donald Trump’s $350 million White House ballroom project.
Companies once tied to Assad kept winning UN contracts under Syria’s new rulers
The United Nations paid roughly $10 million last year to companies formerly linked to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, according to an ICIJ analysis of recently released U.N. data. The payments came after Assad’s ouster from power in December 2024. The procurement data, released by the U.N. in July, reveals at least 11 companies that reportedly had been closely linked to the Assad regime, and which continued to receive U.N. contracts after its fall.
Trump intelligence adviser previously helped father pursue millions from Kremlin-linked bank, leaked documents show
Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, a Trump administration adviser on intelligence issues who recently stepped down from two senior national security positions, previously helped her father secure at least $12 million from a Russian investment bank that cooperated with the Kremlin, leaked documents show. Kennedy, a former CIA officer, was involved in the deal in 2009 and 2010 as head of an offshore corporation owned by her father. She was employed as a spy during those years, according to media reporting.
Intelligence official Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, a Gabbard ally, leaves two jobs
Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, a top Trump administration intelligence official and ally of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, is stepping down this week from two key administration posts. The departure of Kennedy, a daughter-in-law of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is the latest in the senior echelons of national security agencies.
Intelligence official Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, a Gabbard ally, leaves two jobs
Intelligence official Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, a Gabbard ally, leaves two jobs (washingtonpost.com) Intelligence official Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, a Gabbard ally, leaves two jobs By Warren P. Strobel; David Kenner; Ellen Nakashima 2026051922162200 Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, a top Trump administration intelligence official and ally of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, is stepping down this week from two key administration posts.
Cartel boss Daniel Kinahan arrested in Dubai
International drug kingpin Daniel Kinahan has been arrested in the United Arab Emirates, the government of Dubai announced today. Kinahan is a leader of the Kinahan cartel, which has been involved in cocaine and heroin trafficking and linked to at least 20 murders across Europe. His detention came after an Irish court issued an arrest warrant tied to his alleged role in an international organized crime network.
Greek court convicts Intellexa founder Tal Dilian, three others in wiretapping scandal
Four business executives linked to the spyware developer Intellexa have been convicted by a Greek court for their involvement in the illegal wiretapping of government ministers, military officials, and journalists.
Damascus Dossier stories from around the world
One year after the fall of the Assad government in Syria, the Damascus Dossier investigation brought together more than 100 reporters to uncover new evidence of the regime’s abuses and reveal efforts to pursue accountability for those crimes in multiple countries.
Naciones Unidas pagó 11 millones de dólares a una empresa de seguridad de los servicios secretos de El Asad Original
La oficina de Shorouk for Protection, Guarding and Security Services se encuentra al final de un pasillo sin iluminación, casi escondido en la cuarta planta de un anodino centro comercial de Damasco. Un cartel informa a los visitantes de que el pasillo está vigilado por cámaras. No se trata de una empresa de seguridad cualquiera.
Syrie : la machine à tuer d’Assad
Thaer Al-Najjar, un forgeron de Damas, est sans nouvelles de son frère Imad, un des milliers d'opposants au régime de Bachar Al-Assad en Syrie qui ont disparu sans laisser de trace. Après la chute de l’ex-président syrien, il y a un an, la famille d’Imad a tenté de le retrouver dans l’espoir qu’il serait resté en captivité depuis son arrestation en 2012, à la suite de sa participation à des manifestations contre le régime.
After 13 years of searching, a Syrian man learns his brother’s fate
Thaer al-Najjar sat in a cramped basement office in a Damascus hotel, his hands trembling as he glanced down at a single piece of paper. Only the whirring of a ceiling fan filled the silence. Al-Najjar’s white beard made him appear older than his 57 years, but his arms still bore the strength of his years as a blacksmith. A reporter had just handed him a document containing three lines of typed Arabic text.
United Nations paid $11M to Syrian security firm owned by Assad intelligence services, documents show
Hidden within a drab Damascus shopping center, at the end of an unlit fourth-floor hallway, is the unmarked office of Shorouk for Protection, Guarding and Security Services. A sign informs visitors that the hallway is monitored by cameras. This is no ordinary security company. During Syria’s civil war, the United Nations paid Shorouk at least $11 million to provide security services to protect U.N. offices, from its de facto headquarters at the Four Seasons Hotel in Damascus to regional hubs.
Arab states deepened military ties with Israel while denouncing Gaza war, leak reveals
By David Kenner Image: U.S. Army / Sgt. Grace Nechanicky Oct 11, 2025 Israeli and Arab military officials have come together for meetings and trainings, facilitated by U.S. Central Command, on regional threats, Iran and underground tunnels. Featured Image: U.S. service members conduct airborne operations alongside their counterparts from Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, India, Italy, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar, South Africa, United Kingdom and Yemen during an exercise in Giza, Egypt, on Sept.
Black Agenda Report
There will be no peace without justice. The signing of the “Gaza Peace Plan” on October 13th marks an end, for now, of this phase of the zionist state of Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people. However, we must understand this as an imperialist, zionist vision of “peace” – which is only synonymous with full-spectrum dominance and total social control – not justice.
Arab states expanded cooperation with Israeli military during Gaza war, files show
Even as key Arab states condemned the war in the Gaza Strip, they quietly expanded security cooperation with the Israeli military, leaked U.S. documents reveal. Those military ties were thrown into crisis after Israel’s September airstrike in Qatar, but could now play a key role in overseeing the nascent ceasefire in Gaza.
Arab states expanded cooperation with Israeli military during Gaza war, files show
Arab states expanded cooperation with Israeli military during Gaza war, files show (washingtonpost.com) Arab states expanded cooperation with Israeli military during Gaza war, files show By David Kenner 2025101114044700 Even as key Arab states condemned the war in the Gaza Strip, they quietly expanded security cooperation with the Israeli military, leaked U.S. documents reveal.
Arab states expanded cooperation with Israeli military during Gaza war, files show
Trump Whines About the Rules That Denied Him the Nobel Prize The president suggested that the Nobel Committee should have made an exception for him. President Donald Trump has insisted nothing was standing in …
‘Predator’ spyware firm Intellexa resurgent after U.S. sanctions
The Intellexa consortium — notorious for selling its Predator spyware to repressive regimes across the globe — seemingly decreased its activity after it was sanctioned by the United States last year. But in June, cyber threat researchers with the Insikt Group reported a “resurgence” in Intellexa’s activities.
After outpacing EU naval mission, cargo ship remains stranded in Libya
Over the past two years, the Med Sea Eagle has become a floating symbol of the lawlessness and impunity that have dogged commercial shipping on the high seas. The cargo ship’s then-owners abandoned it in June 2023, and conditions grew so dire that one crew member attempted suicide. Then, last summer, a company that chartered the Med Sea Eagle allegedly bribed its crew to deliver high-speed boats and “military tactical” vehicles to Libya, according to leaked emails written by the ship’s owner.
How a Pentagon contractor built a global empire — and a massive tax evasion scheme - ICIJ
A case that the Justice Department has described as one of the largest tax evasion prosecutions in U.S. history culminated on Wednesday with businessman Douglas Edelman pleading guilty in a Washington courtroom to conspiracy and making false statements to U.S. authorities, along with several other criminal charges.
Au printemps dernier, un cargo battant pavillon camerounais, le Barbaros, a traversé le détroit du Bosphore à Istanbul. Parti de Russie, il se dirigeait vers un port de l’est de la Libye contrôlé par un chef de guerre dont les forces sont accusées de crimes contre l’humanité par une mission d’enquête des Nations unies. Cliquez ici pour accéder à l'article sur le site d'ICIJ.
Views from afar | Russia’s ghost ships haunt Libya
Last spring, a Cameroonian-flagged cargo ship, the Barbaros, steamed through Istanbul’s Bosphorus Strait. The Barbaros had begun its journey in Russia and was en route to a port in eastern Libya controlled by a warlord whose forces have been accused of crimes against humanity by a U.N. fact-finding mission. Click here to access the original story on the ICIJ website.
Russia’s ghost ships haunt Libya
Last spring, a Cameroonian-flagged cargo ship, the Barbaros, steamed through Istanbul’s Bosphorus Strait. The Barbaros had begun its journey in Russia and was en route to a port in eastern Libya controlled by a warlord whose forces have been accused of crimes against humanity by a U.N. fact-finding mission. As the Barbaros crossed the Bosphorus in April, an eagle-eyed observer — Yörük Işık, who runs a consultancy analyzing maritime activity on the strait — got a view of its cargo.
Foreign aid freeze decimates investigative news outlets internationally
Investigative news organizations across the globe are scrambling to survive and fearing a backlash from authoritarian regimes following the Trump administration’s foreign assistance freeze and other moves to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development. The United States allocated $268 million in 2025 to support independent media and the free flow of information. A USAID fact sheet from 2023 that was on its website before the site went dark on Feb.
Foreign aid freeze decimates investigative news outlets internationally
Investigative news organizations across the globe are scrambling to survive and fearing a backlash from authoritarian regimes following the Trump administration’s foreign assistance freeze and other moves to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development. The United States allocated $268 million in 2025 to support independent media and the free flow of information. A USAID fact sheet from 2023 that was on its website before the site went dark on Feb.
Whistleblower accuses JPMorgan Chase of violating cash reserve rules meant to protect the financial system
JPMorgan Chase for years understated the risk it posed to the financial system, according to a whistleblower who claimed that America’s largest bank made billions of dollars by violating rules established to protect the global economy from crisis.
As billion-dollar webcam industry booms, models suffer at hands of Colombian studios
Webcam studios across Colombia have subjected models to horrific abuses and facilitated the creation of child sexual abuse material, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch. Models interviewed for the report stated that they had been coerced by the studios to perform sex acts that they did not wish to perform, pressured to stream for many hours without breaks, and suffered physical and mental harm from working in dirty, cramped cubicles.
Critics question the depth of Cyprus’s much-touted reforms to its secretive financial industry
One year ago, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides vowed a swift response to revelations that the European Union-member state had helped Russian oligarchs evade Western sanctions and fund President Vladimir Putin’s war machine. “Everything that has come to light will be investigated,” Christodoulides said.
King Charles’ godson had extensive business ties with a US defense contractor now accused of a massive tax evasion scheme, records show
A godson of King Charles worked closely with an American financier accused by the U.S. government of evading taxes on more than $350 million in military contract profits, according to corporate documents. Lord Charles Tryon held positions at a number of companies tied to Douglas Edelman, a former defense contractor who was charged in May on 30 counts of tax evasion, conspiracy, and providing false information to U.S. authorities.
Oxfam says $41 billion of the World Bank’s climate spending ‘effectively unaccounted for’
The World Bank claims to have invested more than $100 billion in the effort to combat climate change. But a new report found that up to $41 billion of the bank’s spending on climate finance is impossible to track. The Oxfam report, titled “Climate Finance Unchecked,” alleges that poor record-keeping practices at the World Bank make it “impossible” to verify its expenditures and impact on climate finance.
Notorious ‘Predator’ spyware firm Intellexa hit with new US sanctions
The United States leveled new sanctions against an international group of alleged senior figures from spyware group Intellexa, marking the second time the consortium has been targeted for the threat posed by its so-called “Predator” software.
Israelis spying on everybody
As the United States clamped down on the Intellexa group for the second time this year, advocates criticized Europe’s lack of action against commercial spyware creators. By David Kenner September 18, 2024 The United States leveled new sanctions against an international group of alleged senior figures from spyware group Intellexa, marking the second time this year the consortium has been targeted for the threat posed by its so-called “Predator” software.
Former Biden aide set up meeting between Qatari royal and US senator accused of corruption
A former aide to President Joe Biden and the leader of a group raising money to help his re-election campaign helped to organize a meeting between Sen. Robert Menendez and a member of the Qatari royal family, fostering a relationship that has attracted the attention of federal prosecutors. Mark Doyle is currently the chairman of Unite the Country, a super PAC that has raised millions of dollars to support Biden’s 2020 and 2024 presidential campaigns.
Qatari royal invested about $50 million in pro-Trump network Newsmax
A member of the Qatari royal family invested roughly $50 million in Newsmax, according to documents and representatives for the media company and the royal, in a moment of acute Middle East tensions during the Trump administration. The investment bolstered a key conservative media outlet at a time when Qatar was facing intense diplomatic pressure from its neighbors and seeking allies in the United States.
Qatari royal invested about $50 million in pro-Trump network Newsmax Original
A member of the Qatari royal family invested roughly $50 million in Newsmax, according to documents and representatives for the media company and the royal, in a moment of acute Middle East tensions during the Trump administration. The investment bolstered a key conservative media outlet at a time when Qatar was facing intense diplomatic pressure from its neighbors and seeking allies in the United States.
Spyware firm Intellexa hit with US sanctions after Cyprus Confidential exposé
The United States has sanctioned notorious spyware consortium Intellexa, as well as its two key leaders, for their roles in the development and operation of surveillance software that has targeted American citizens.
Sudanese businessman accused of managing Hamas’ investment portfolio sanctioned by EU
The European Union has sanctioned alleged Hamas financier Abdelbasit Hamza, who was the subject of an ICIJ investigation in December that detailed his business ties in Europe. The European Union also announced the establishment of a new legal framework to target individuals that provide support to the Palestinian group.
Bin Laden, Hamas and the Sudanese money man
A Hamas-linked financier, once sentenced for 10 years on corruption charges in Sudan, maintains a network of business interests in Europe despite being under US sanctions, leaked documents show. The business dealings of Abdelbasit Hamza, linked by the US to Osama Bin Laden, span two decades and include a Cypriot firm, a Spanish real estate company, an Egyptian gold business, and a Sudan-based company sanctioned by the US less than a week after the October 7 attacks.
Bin Laden, Hamas and the Sudanese money man
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Bin Laden, Hamas and the Sudanese money man
(CNN) — A Hamas-linked financier, once sentenced for 10 years on corruption charges in Sudan, maintains a network of business interests in Europe despite being under US sanctions, leaked documents show. The business dealings of Abdelbasit Hamza, linked by the US to Osama Bin Laden, span two decades and include a Cypriot firm, a Spanish real estate company, an Egyptian gold business, and a Sudan-based company sanctioned by the US less than a week after the October 7 attacks.
Bin Laden, Hamas and the Sudanese money man
A Hamas-linked financier, once sentenced for 10 years on corruption charges in Sudan, maintains a network of business interests in Europe despite being under US sanctions, leaked documents show. The business dealings of Abdelbasit Hamza, linked by the US to Osama Bin Laden, span two decades and include a Cypriot firm, a Spanish real estate company, an Egyptian gold business, and a Sudan-based company sanctioned by the US less than a week after the October 7 attacks.
Alleged Hamas financier holds stake in Cyprus company that mines Egyptian gold, leaked files reveal
An accused financier of Hamas has extensive business ties in Europe and owns a stake in a lucrative Cyprus firm that mines Egyptian gold, a new investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and the Israeli news outlet Shomrim reveals. Sudanese businessman Abdelbasit Hamza, an ally of former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, was sanctioned by the United States in the aftermath of the Oct.
A pariah regime used a Cyprus middleman in bid to evade oil-industry sanctions
In June 2014, Syria’s civil war was entering its bloodiest phase. Rebel militias had seized large swaths of the country. The Islamic State had set up a de facto capital in the city of Raqqa and would soon rampage across Syria and Iraq. In Damascus, Syria’s capital, President Bashar Assad was running out of money and clinging to power through increasingly brutal means.
The spy, the lawyer and their global surveillance empire
In the summer and fall of 2019, travelers at Larnaca International Airport may have been pleasantly surprised by its recently upgraded Wi-Fi system. But the speedy internet came with a catch: The company that installed new equipment also set up three access points that stole personal information from over 9 million mobile devices that passed through Cyprus’ main travel hub during that time.
Accounting firms accused of ‘operating with impunity’ as regulator flags growing number of flawed audits
A U.S. regulator has found that audits conducted by global accounting firms have grown increasingly flawed and warns that these deficiencies undermine investors’ ability to make informed decisions.
Plaintiff seeks to anonymously sue Germany for alleged breach of contract to share revenue raised due to Panama Papers’ tax fraud investigations
A person claiming to be the whistleblower behind the Panama Papers is attempting to sue the German government and federal criminal police anonymously in a complex legal and financial dispute over an alleged deal to purchase the leaked dataset, according to a recent lawsuit filed in the United States.
Australia spikes plan to force companies to disclose global tax data
Multinational firms have won a reprieve from a new law that would have forced them to publicly disclose the taxes they pay around the world. In late June, and just days before a self-imposed deadline to implement the plan, the Australian government backed away from its commitment to a public country-by-country reporting scheme that would have required companies to provide detailed accounts of their global operations from July 1.
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