Trump nominates Charles Kushner to serve as US ambassador to France: 'Strong advocate'
President-elect Trump has nominated Charles Kushner, the father of Jared Kushner, to serve in his new administration as the U.S. ambassador to France.
"I am pleased to nominate Charles Kushner, of New Jersey, to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to France," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Saturday. "He is a tremendous business leader, philanthropist, & dealmaker, who will be a strong advocate representing our Country & its interests."
In 2020, Kushner was pardoned by Trump 15 years after being found guilty of falsifying tax returns, witness tampering and illegal campaign contributions.
Kushner, the founder of Kushner Companies, served a two-year sentence for his conviction. The witness tampering charge stemmed from an incident where he paid a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law into an encounter that was recorded on video. Kushner then sent the footage to the man's wife, Kushner's sister, in order to prevent her from testifying before a grand jury.
Kushner was prosecuted by then-U.S. Attorney General Chris Christie in 2005. Christie later called the case "one of the most loathsome, disgusting crimes that I prosecuted when I was U.S. attorney," during a 2019 PBS interview.
Trump touted Kushner's accomplishments in his statement on Saturday, calling Kushner Companies "one of the largest & most successful privately held Real Estate firms in the Nation."
"He was recognized as New Jersey Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young, appointed to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, & served as a Commissioner, & Chairman, of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, as well as on the Boards of our top institutions, including NYU," Trump said.
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"His son, Jared, worked closely with me in the White House, in particular on Operation Warp Speed, Criminal Justice Reform, & the Abraham Accords," his statement concluded. "Together, we will strengthen America’s partnership with France, our oldest Ally, & one of our greatest!"
In 2018, Jared Kushner worked to get the First Step Act passed by Congress, which focused on reforming federal prisons. Kushner became passionate about the issue after witnessing how his father had been treated in prison.
"President Trump promised to fight for the forgotten men and women of this country — and that includes those in prison," Jared Kushner wrote in the Wall Street Journal at the time.
Fox News Digital's Ronn Blitzer contributed to this report.