Charles Kushner
⚠️ All Corruption Flags (3)
In 2005, following an investigation led by then-U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Chris Christie, Charles Kushner pleaded guilty to 18 counts of illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion, and witness tampering. The witness tampering charge arose because Kushner retaliated against his sister Esther's husband William Schulder — who was cooperating with federal investigators — by hiring a prostitute to seduce Schulder, arranging to record the sexual encounter, and sending the recording to his sister Esther. Kushner was sentenced to 2 years in federal prison and served 14 months at Federal Prison Camp Montgomery in Alabama before finishing in a Newark halfway house.
On December 23, 2020, President Donald Trump — Kushner's daughter Ivanka's father-in-law — issued Charles Kushner a full and unconditional pardon, citing his record of 'reform' and 'charity.' The pardon does not vacate the underlying 18-count guilty plea.
On November 30, 2024, President-elect Trump nominated Charles Kushner — father of his son-in-law Jared Kushner — as U.S. Ambassador to France and Monaco. The Senate confirmed him 51-45 on a nearly party-line vote. Kushner was sworn in on July 11, 2025. In February 2026, French authorities formally RESTRICTED his direct access to French government ministers after he failed to attend a summons from Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, sending a subordinate instead. The French foreign ministry cited an 'apparent failure to grasp the basic requirements of the ambassadorial mission.'