WASHINGTON – On Saturday, President-elect Donald Trump announced his appointment of Charles Kushner, a previous recipient of a Trump pardon, as the U.S. Ambassador to France.

Charles Kushner is the father of Jared Kushner, who is married to Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump’s daughter.

“I am delighted to nominate Charles Kushner from New Jersey for the position of U.S. Ambassador to France,” Trump stated on Truth Social. “He is an exceptional business leader, philanthropist, and negotiator who will effectively represent our country and its interests.”

Charles Kushner founded Kushner Companies, a real estate firm based in New York. In 2005, he was convicted of filing false tax returns, retaliating against a witness who cooperated with the prosecution, and making false statements to the Federal Election Commission.

He spent over 16 months in federal prison out of a two-year sentence before being released in 2006, as reported by NorthJersey.com. Trump granted him a pardon in 2020, highlighting Kushner’s commitment to charitable endeavors at that time.

“His record of reform and philanthropy is more significant than Mr. Kushner’s conviction and subsequent two-year sentence for tax fraud, witness retaliation, and false statements to the FEC,” stated Trump’s office back then.

Charles Kushner was prosecuted by Chris Christie, the former Governor of New Jersey, who has been an outspoken critic of Trump and participated in the 2024 Republican primaries before withdrawing. In a 2019 interview, Christie characterized Kushner’s offenses as “one of the most loathsome, disgusting crimes” he dealt with during his tenure as U.S. Attorney for New Jersey.

Charles Kushner admitted to paying a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law and recording their encounter, which he then sent to his sister as an attempt to intimidate her and prevent her from testifying in a federal investigation.