Charles Kushner, a real estate mogul and father of President Donald Trump's son-in-law, has been confirmed by the Senate as US ambassador to France despite his felony convictions that were expunged by a presidential pardon, Politico reported, BTA reported.
Trump picked Kushner for the post weeks after his November election victory. His son, Jared, was a senior adviser to the president during his first term (2017-2021) and helped broker the Abraham Accords, one of Trump's signature foreign policy achievements.
Kushner was confirmed by 51 votes to 51. by 45 votes, with Senator Cory Booker of his home state of New Jersey the only Democrat to vote in favor. One Republican, Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, voted against.
In 2005, Kushner pleaded guilty to charges of aiding and abetting the filing of false tax returns, witness retaliation, and making false statements to the Federal Election Commission, for which he spent two years in prison. In December 2020, just before the end of his first term, Trump pardoned Kushner. Former Trump ally turned 2024 Republican primary challenger Chris Christie, who brought the charges against Kushner when he was a federal prosecutor, said the case was about "one of the most heinous crimes I prosecuted as a U.S. attorney.".
"My misjudgment and mistake was over 20 years ago," Kushner said at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in May, "Politico" recalls. "I was then pardoned by President Trump. But I'm not sitting here before you today and telling you that I'm a perfect person. I'm not a perfect person. I made a very, very, very serious mistake and I paid a very high price for that mistake," added the future U.S. ambassador to France.