Ivanka Trump's Father-In-Law, Charles Kushner, Has Shady Past That's Coming Back To Haunt Him
Jared Kushner's father, Charles Kushner, is one of Donald Trump's latest cabinet picks after Trump chose Charles to be the ambassador to France, which is a controversial choice due to Charles' criminal history and time spent in jail. While Charles' crimes have faded into the background in the past, the disturbing nature of his criminal activity is coming back into the public eye after his nomination.
In the 2000s, Charles was highly successful in the world of real estate, but that all came tumbling down when he confessed in 2004 to paying a prostitute to sleep with his brother-in-law, William Schulder, and capture the act via a camera hidden somewhere in the hotel room that the sex worker was to stay in with Schulder. Charles then intended to send the tape to his sister and Schulder's wife to create chaos for his brother-in-law in his personal life. Charles was convicted of illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion, and witness tampering and was sentenced to two years in prison, but was set free in 2006, earlier than expected.
Trump pardoned Charles, whose son Jared is married to the president-elect's daughter, Ivanka Trump, of his convictions during Trump's first presidency. According to The New York Times, Charles' pardon was "part of a wave of 26 pardons he issued with roughly a month left in his first term, along with other close associates including Paul Manafort, his 2016 campaign chairman, and Roger J. Stone Jr., a longtime ally and informal adviser,"
What does the public think of Charles Kushner?
Many consider Charles Kushner unsavory, causing Donald Trump's decision to nominate Jared Kushner's father as the ambassador to France to be in poor taste. While appearing on "Firing Lane with Margaret Hoover," former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said that Charles committed "one of the most loathsome, disgusting crimes that I prosecuted...and I was the U.S. attorney in New Jersey."
Trump announced Charles as his choice for ambassador for France via Truth Social on November 30, 2024, writing, "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," He then ended his lengthy statement by trying to convince the public that his decision is the best thing for France. "Together, we will strengthen America's partnership with France, our oldest Ally, & one of our greatest!" Trump concluded.
The news of Charles' appointment comes in light of President Joe Biden pardoning his son, Hunter Biden. Joe's choice to give his son clemency was extremely controversial because Joe claimed several times he would never pardon Hunter, but Trump's decision overshadows Biden's for some social media users. One X user wrote, "Don't wanna hear s*** from the media about Joe Biden pardoning Hunter Biden unless they're spending equal time on Trump pardoning Charles Kushner..." Charles is loathed by some politicians, causing the likelihood of potential backlash regarding Trump's decision to spike.