Reporter/Middle East coordinator @ICIJorg. Words in @TheAtlantic. Middle East editor @ForeignPolicy once upon a time. Leak to me: davidkenner@protonmail.com
Washington DC
Joined October 2008
- Tweets1.8K
- Following2.2K
- Followers37.7K
- Likes5.9K
A company linked to a major Trump donor received Treasury Department authorization to transact with a sanctioned Russian bank as part of the firm's purchase of a massive Armenian copper mine.
icij.org/news/2026/09/trump-…
The United Nations paid roughly $10 million last year to companies formerly linked to the Assad regime.
The reason these companies are still around? The new government’s opaque deals with Assad-linked business elites.
icij.org/investigations/dama…
ICIJ revealed last year that a UN contractor, Shorouk, was secretly owned by Assad's intelligence services.
Shorouk and other firms are now under the control of a new company, which didn't answer questions about its ownership or how this came about.
icij.org/investigations/dama…
DavidKenner retweeted
NEW: we caught 🇨🇳Chinese hackers... again.
Twist: they're hacking journalists & activists, but we suspect they're private contractors.
State repression... with a profit margin.
Thread + how to protect yourself 1/
By us @citizenlab in collab w/@ICIJorg
Very normal behavior here.
"After you make us lose $900,000 we will invest no less than that to finish you."
timesofisrael.com/gamblers-t…
I reported last year that seven Arab states and Israel were participating in a U.S.-led "Regional Security Construct," deepening security cooperation to counter Iran.
Worthwhile time to point out: Kuwait wasn't one of those seven.
icij.org/news/2025/10/arab-s…
Kuwaiti air defenses mistakenly shoot down three US fighter jets. All six American crew members safely ejected and were later recovered, military says. nytimes.com/2026/03/02/world…
I feel like I’m taking crazy pills. He’s not a sultan, his name is Sultan. This is obvious to anyone with a passing familiarity with the Gulf.
.@PabloReports: There was a sultan who was named?
Khanna: That is the person that we're protecting. Why not put out his name. He's a sultan, a powerful person in Dubai. He's obviously allegedly involved in these crimes..
This is neither here nor there but the individual’s name is Sultan, it’s not a title
You looked at the document. You know it’s an email address that was redacted. The law requires redactions for personally identifiable information, including if in an email address. And you know that the Sultan’s name is available unredacted in the files. See EFTA00666117.
Be honest, and stop grandstanding.
Readers added context they thought people might want to know
The Epstein Files Transparency Act allows redaction of PII only in very narrow circumstances, such as an unwarranted invasion of privacy or the risk of jeopardizing a federal investigation. It is unlikely the cited email would meet that criterion. - congress.gov/bill/119th-con…
Today @Sana__gov published:
-A Justice Ministry circular on how publishing Assad regime security files is "a crime that affects the security of the state."
-A description of an @snhr report based on Assad regime security files.
sana.sy/locals/2354459/
sana.sy/locals/2354006/
DavidKenner retweeted
Harrowing and deeply important work by @DavidKenner and @NicoleSadek on the survivors of Assad's killing machine -- relatives of the missing, left to pick up the pieces without answers from the old regime or the new. A telling anecdote at the end. icij.org/investigations/dama…
NEW: The United Nations paid $11 million to a Syrian security firm that documents show was owned by a branch of Assad's intelligence services guilty of torture, rape, and murder.
icij.org/investigations/dama…
New from me: Israel and key Arab states quietly deepened military cooperation over the past three years, even as the Gaza war raged.
icij.org/news/2025/10/arab-s…
I have never seen a government agency respond to a FOIA request like this. Not just: "Hey, please tell us if you're still interested in a previously submitted FOIA?" But: "We're not going to tell you which FOIA requests are outstanding, but please write us about them."
DavidKenner retweeted
“An unlikely firm linked to key #Intellexa figures has also sprung back to life online: a skincare company called Medovie.”
icij.org/investigations/cypr…
"'The only thing he ever talks about is prostitutes,' the official said."
timesofisrael.com/israels-ua…
In 2023, Panama Papers whistleblower "John Doe" tried to sue the German government - but was stopped after the judge said they'd have to reveal their identity to the court. Doe said this would put their life at risk.
icij.org/investigations/pana…
This week, we learned John Doe's fears were well-founded.
Russian hackers lurked in US courts for years, took sealed files.
bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
I have not tried them - clearly a gap in my reporting.
Great piece by @DavidKenner. Still wondering though—are their skincare products actually any good? #spyware
icij.org/investigations/cypr…
From spyware to skincare, companies linked to senior figures in 'Predator' developer Intellexa are back in business. icij.org/investigations/cypr…