Trump picks Jared Kushner’s father, Charles Kushner, as ambassador to France

CNN
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Donald Trump has chosen his son-in-law Jared Kushner’s father, Charles Kushner, to serve as the next US ambassador to France, the president-elect announced on Saturday.

Trump described Charles Kushner as a very successful business executive, philanthropist and dealmaker with extensive experience in the real estate industry.

“I am pleased to nominate Charles Kushner of New Jersey to serve as United States Ambassador to France. He is a tremendous business leader, philanthropist and dealmaker who will be a strong advocate for our country and its interests,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social posts.

The president-elect also noted the connection to Jared Kushner, who is married to Trump’s daughter Ivanka. “His son, Jared, worked closely with me in the White House, particularly on Operation Warp Speed, Criminal Justice Reform and the Abraham Accords,” Trump wrote in his post.

Charles Kushner was pardoned by Trump in 2020 after a 2005 conviction on federal charges. Chris Christie, who led the case as US attorney for New Jersey, said in 2019 that Kushner committed “one of the most heinous, heinous crimes” he had prosecuted.

Kushner, who was under investigation at the time for making illegal campaign contributions, targeted his brother-in-law, William Schulder, a former staffer who testified for federal prosecutors in their case against the Democratic donor. As part of the plot, Kushner hired a prostitute to lure Schulder into having sex at a motel while a hidden camera was rolling. A tape of the meeting was then sent to Kushner’s sister and Schulder’s wife. Ultimately, the intimidation stunt failed and the woman turned on Kushner.

Kushner pleaded guilty in 2005 to 16 counts of tax evasion, one count of retaliation against a federal witness and another count of lying to the Federal Election Commission. He was sentenced to two years in prison.

Trump’s announcement comes as Jared Kushner has said he does not plan to serve in the president-elect’s second administration. Kushner said at an event in Miami in February that he has been “very clear” in his desire to focus on his private equity firm “at this stage” in his life.

However, Kushner is considered essential to the incoming administration’s efforts in the Middle East, although he is unlikely to take a formal job in it, regional diplomats and Trump allies told CNN earlier this month.

Since Trump left office in 2021, Kushner and his wife, Ivanka Trump, have moved to Miami and largely abandoned politics. Kushner founded an investment fund, Affinity Partners, shortly after leaving Washington with major backing from sovereign wealth funds in the Gulf.

During Trump’s first term, Kushner’s fingerprints were on many, if not all, of the administration’s agenda items, including immigration, relations with China, the Middle East and the White House’s response to the coronavirus.

This story has been updated with additional information.

CNN’s Gregory Krieg, Kevin Liptak, Kylie Atwood and Ali Main contributed to this report.