The Senate confirmed Charles Kushner, father of President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, as U.S. envoy to France on Monday, continuing its record pace of ambassadorial confirmations.
Kushner received a presidential pardon from Trump during his first term for offenses related to tax evasion and violations of Federal Election Commission regulations dating back to 2005.
The Senate approved his nomination 51 to 45. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) was the sole Democrat to vote for Kushner, who is a native of New Jersey. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) was the only GOP no vote.
Booker received campaign donations early in his political career from Kushner, when he was a prominent Democratic donor. Booker’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
Kushner is the 10th Trump foreign ambassador pick to be confirmed this term, compared to just one for former President Joe Biden during this point in his presidency.
Kushner’s nomination advanced out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in a vote of 12-0, cast only by Republicans. All Democratic members boycotted the session in response to Republicans allegedly disregarding protocols that ensure the minority is adequately briefed on the nominations schedule.
While facing a federal investigation for unlawful campaign donations, Kushner was convicted after devising a plot against his brother-in-law, William Schulder, a former employee who agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. To discredit and intimidate Schulder, Kushner hired a sex worker to entice him into a motel room while a hidden camera recorded their encounter. The resulting footage was then mailed to Schulder’s wife, who is also Kushner’s sister. The plan collapsed when the woman involved ultimately turned on Kushner and revealed his role in the scheme.
Kushner was eventually given a two-year prison sentence in a case that Chris Christie, U.S. attorney for New Jersey at the time, later described as “one of the most repugnant and vile offenses” he had ever handled. Trump pardoned Kushner in 2020.
When questioned by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) at last week’s hearing about his past misconduct, Kushner acknowledged having made poor decisions but said he has spent the last 20 years trying to atone for them.
“I don’t sit here before you today and tell you I’m a perfect person,” he said. “I am not a perfect person. I made a very, very, very serious mistake, and I paid a very heavy price for that mistake … I think that my past mistakes actually make me better with my judgment, better in my view of life, better in my values, to really make me more qualified to do this job.”
TRUMP NOMINATES JARED KUSHNER’S FATHER AS FRENCH AMBASSADOR
Kushner, 71, was nominated in November after Trump called him a “tremendous business leader, philanthropist, and dealmaker, who will be a strong advocate representing our country & its interests.”
“He was recognized as New Jersey Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young, appointed to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, & served as a commissioner, & chairman, of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, as well as on the boards of our top institutions, including NYU,” Trump said.
