Throughout the holiday weekend, President-elect Trump has continued announcing nominees for his incoming administration. On Saturday afternoon, he made a somewhat unexpected selection.
I am pleased to nominate Charles Kushner, of New Jersey, to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to France. 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. 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!
One detail that may raise some eyebrows, as noted in the previous paragraph, is that Kushner is a family member—Trump’s son-in-law through his daughter Ivanka, and the grandfather of her three children with Jared.
BREAKING: President Trump appoints Charles Kushner as U.S. Ambassador to France. Charles is the father of Jared Kushner.
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 30, 2024
"He is a tremendous business leader, philanthropist, & dealmaker, who will be a strong advocate representing our Country & its interests." pic.twitter.com/QEEsXVRwpt
In the days leading up to Christmas 2020, during his first term, President Trump issued full pardons to 26 individuals, including Charles Kushner:
He was convicted of preparing false tax returns, retaliating against a cooperating witness, and making false statements to the Federal Election Commission in 2005.
He served more than 16 months of a two-year sentence in federal prison and a halfway program before he was released in 2006, NorthJersey.com reported. Trump pardoned Charles Kushner in 2020, saying at the time that Kushner was devoted to philanthropic organizations and causes.
