'From pardoned to Paris': Trump nominates Jared Kushner's dad for ambassador to France
Donald Trump has nominated one of his in-laws to serve as ambassador to France.
The president-elect tapped son-in-law Jared Kushner's father, real estate developer Charles Kushner, to the diplomatic post on Saturday touting his business accomplishments and public service but studiously avoiding mention of his criminal conviction for a scheme to hire a sex worker to seduce his own brother-in-law and send a recording of the encounter to his sister.
"I am pleased to nominate Charles Kushner, of New Jersey, to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to France," Trump posted. "He is a tremendous business leader, philanthropist, & dealmaker, who will be a strong advocate representing our Country & its interests. Charlie is the Founder & Chairman of 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."
"Congratulations to Charlie, his wonderful wife Seryl, their 4 children, & 14 grandchildren," the former president added. "His son, Jared, worked closely with me in the White House, in particular on Operation Warp Speed, Criminal Justice Reform, & the Abraham Accords. Together, we will strengthen America’s partnership with France, our oldest Ally, & one of our greatest!"
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Jared Kushner, who is married to Trump's eldest daughter Ivanka, served as a White House adviser during the ex-president's first term and received a $2 billion investment from Saudi Arabia after leaving, but the couple is not expected to rejoin his second administration.
Charles Kushner was convicted in 2005 illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion and witness tampering in the scheme against his brother-in-law, which resulted in a two-year prison term and his disbarment, but the former president pardoned him Dec. 23, 2020, and his nomination surprised many.
"Like Trump, Charles Kushner is a convicted felon," said former Hillary Clinton senior adviser Zac Petkanas.
"Kushner hired a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law, recorded their sexual encounter, and sent the tape to his sister, all in retaliation for his brother-in-law's cooperation with a federal investigation into other crimes Kushner had committed," said Stan Veuger, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
"In 2020, Chris Christie called Charles Kushner's hiring of a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law and subsequent filming of the act to obstruct justice 'one of the most loathsome, disgusting crimes' he prosecuted," posted X user Lemon Sturgis.
"'From pardoned to Paris,'" added X user David Kenah. "For those who don’t remember, Trump pardoned Charles Kushner right before leaving office in 2021."