President-elect Donald Trump announced his decision to nominate New Jersey-based real estate developer Charles Kushner to become the next U.S. ambassador to France.
Kushner is the founder of Kushner Companies and is the father of Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law. He has no previous diplomatic experience and is the second real estate developer named to a diplomatic post by the president-elect – last month, Trump named Florida real estate developer Steve Witkoff, chairman and CEO of The Witkoff Group, as his special envoy for the Middle East.
In 2005, Kushner was convicted of illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion, and witness tampering in a case that involved him hiring a prostitute to arrange a sexual encounter with his brother-in-law, which was secretly videotapes and sent to his sister. Chris Christie, the future New Jersey governor, prosecuted the case which resulted in Kushner serving two years in prison. Trump issued a presidential pardon for Kushner in 2020.
According to a Financial Times report, reaction to Kushner’s appointment in France has been mixed to negative. Gerard Araud, former French ambassador to the US, remarked in an X posting, “He has no knowledge of our country. At least he will have access to the president. We console ourselves as best we can.” And François Heisbourg, senior adviser for Europe at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, wondered aloud if the French government would dare to reject “the nomination of this sad character,” declaring that “though rare, this type of refusal is part of the diplomatic prerogatives of sovereign states.”
During his first term, Trump named Jamie McCourt, a campaign donor and former co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, as his ambassador to France. Kushner was a former donor to Democratic candidates prior to the 2016 election – both he and his son each contributed the maximum $844,600 to the Trump 47 Committee fundraising group.
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