Senate Republicans confirm convicted felon as U.S. ambassador

All but one Senate Republican voted to confirm convicted felon Charles Kushner as the U.S. Ambassador to France and Monaco on Monday.

President Donald Trump nominated Kushner for the role late last year. Kushner is the father of Trump’s son-in-law, Jared.

“I am pleased to nominate Charles Kushner, of New Jersey, to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to France,” Trump wrote in a social media post announcing the nomination. “He is a tremendous business leader, philanthropist, & dealmaker, who will be a strong advocate representing our Country & its interests.”

Kushner is the co-founder of Kushner Companies LLC, a real estate firm operating primarily in the tri-state area. Kushner started the company with a real estate portfolio he inherited from his father.

In 2004, Kushner was investigated by federal authorities for tax evasion and making illegal campaign contributions. When he learned that his brother-in-law, William Schulder, was cooperating with investigators, Kushner hired a prostitute to seduce Schulder and produce blackmail material.

Kushner pleaded guilty in 2005 to 18 counts, including witness tampering. He was sentenced to two years in prison. 

Kushner was prosecuted by U.S. Attorney Chris Christie, who later served as the Republican governor of New Jersey and ran for president in 2016 and 2024.

Christie briefly led Trump’s first White House transition team before being ousted. In his 2019 book Let Me Finish, Christie claimed Jared Kushner fired him in retaliation for prosecuting Charles Kushner. Christie later defended that prosecution in a PBS interview.

“If a guy hires a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law, and video tapes it, and then sends the video tape to his sister to attempt to intimidate her from testifying before a grand jury, do I really need any more justification than that?” Christie said. “It’s one of the most loathsome, disgusting crimes that I prosecuted.”

Trump granted Kushner a full pardon in December 2020. 

Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski was the only Republican to oppose Kushner’s nomination. New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker was the only Democrat to support it.

A White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions for this story.