It’s a family affair. Donald Trump announced this Saturday, November 30, that he would appoint Charles Kushner as United States ambassador to France. No less than the father of his son-in-law and ex-advisor, Jared Kushner. This real estate magnate, who also experienced run-ins with the law, will be sent to Paris to “strengthen the partnership between the United States and France, our oldest ally and one of our strongest”, explained the American president-elect on his network, Truth Social.
Charles Kushner spent a year in federal prison for tax embezzlement and was pardoned by Donald Trump towards the end of his first term in the White House – a legal past that raises questions for an American diplomat. His son, Jared Kushner, is the husband of Ivanka Trump, the president’s eldest daughter, and was an advisor to Donald Trump, particularly on the Middle East, during his first exercise of power.
Now 70, Charles Kushner once handed the reins to his son to run the family real estate empire, Kushner Companies, because he had to serve prison time after pleading guilty in 2004 to tax evasion, witness tampering and illegal campaign contributions.
The businessman notably admitted sordid acts in the context of this affair: he had hired a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law, who was collaborating in an investigation into campaign financing. Charles Kushner had filmed the meeting between them to his sister, the wife of this man, to dissuade her from testifying against him.
Controversial choice
Donald Trump called Charles Kushner a “brilliant business leader,” a “philanthropist” and a “good negotiator,” without ever mentioning his legal woes. Since his election against Kamala Harris on November 5, the Republican has made a number of sensational appointments within his administration, surrounding himself with loyalists with often controversial profiles.
He notably appointed as Minister of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr, a man notoriously skeptical of vaccines. Billionaire Elon Musk must co-head a commission responsible for cutting public spending.
Donald Trump also appointed as defense minister Pete Hegseth, a Fox News anchor who was investigated for sexual assault, without a complaint being filed. The Republican tribune also tried to impose Matt Gaetz, a lawmaker accused of having a sexual relationship with a minor, for the Justice Department. But faced with the outcry triggered by this project, the person ended up giving up.
In his place, the president-elect chose one of his ex-lawyers, Pam Bondi. She will be assisted in the ministry by three of the billionaire’s personal lawyers – Todd Blanche, Emil Bove and John Sauer. Their mission is clear: to put an end to what Donald Trump, convicted in criminal proceedings at the end of May, considers to be an “instrumentalization” of justice, and to become the armed arm of his revenge.