Charles Kushner, father of Jared Kushner and father-in-law of Ivanka Trump, was confirmed as ambassador to France and Monaco by the Senate Monday night, just over four years after President Donald Trump pardoned him for a federal conviction.
The 51-45 vote was almost entirely along party lines, with one notable Republican defection, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and one eyebrow-raising Democratic vote in support of the appointment: Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey.
Yes, that Cory Booker. The same guy who torched Trump, Elon Musk, and the GOP from the Senate floor just weeks ago for gutting the federal government. Now he’s helping them run it.
Booker and the Kushner family go way back. In 2013, Jared and Ivanka hosted a fundraiser for Booker’s first Senate run. That goodwill outlasted not just a presidency but a federal prison sentence—and one of the sleaziest political revenge plots in modern memory.
Charles Kushner, who was confirmed as Trump’s ambassador to France and Monaco on Monday.
In 2004, Charles pleaded guilty to making false statements to the Federal Election Commission, tax evasion, and witness tampering. He served 14 months in federal prison and the rest of his two-year sentence in a halfway house in Newark, New Jersey.
But the stomach-turning part is that, after learning his brother-in-law was cooperating with federal investigators, Charles admitted to hiring a sex worker to seduce him. He secretly filmed the encounter and sent the tape to his wife, Charles’ own sister. Though his plan failed, it was disgusting nonetheless.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who brought the case, once called it “one of the most loathsome, disgusting crimes that I prosecuted.”
And yet, here we are.
At his confirmation hearing, Charles told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that he had simply made—and paid for—a mistake.
“My misjudgment and mistake was over twenty years ago. Since then, I’ve been pardoned by President Trump. But I don’t sit here before you today and tell you I’m a perfect person. I made a very, very, very serious mistake, and I paid a very heavy price for that mistake,” he said.
Technically, yes, he went to prison. But then he got a presidential pardon. And now he gets to live in Paris on the taxpayers’ dime.
Notably, other Democrats weren’t having it.
“Charles Kushner was convicted of making false statements to the FEC and pleaded guilty to tax evasion & witness tampering. And Trump pardoned him. Of course, I voted NO to advance Kushner’s nomination as AMBASSADOR TO FRANCE,” Sen. Patty Murray of Washington wrote on X.
So why did Booker say yes? He’s not the only Democrat who has backed a Trump nominee, but now he’s done it more than once. And still, it’s hard to imagine Republicans returning the favor. Sharing a home state with Charles doesn’t cut it, especially when GOP officials are actively prosecuting Democrats for far less.
Since that marathon floor speech in April, Booker has mostly stuck with his party—but he’s defected on a few key picks. In addition to Charles, he also voted to confirm former Sen. David Perdue of Georgia as ambassador to China and Houston billionaire Tilman Fertitta as ambassador to Italy and San Marino.
And Charles isn’t the only member of Trump’s extended clan landing a plum gig. In December, Trump tapped Massad Boulos—Tiffany Trump’s father-in-law—to be a senior adviser on the Middle East. That same month, he nominated Kimberly Guilfoyle, Donald Trump Jr.’s ex-fiancée, to be ambassador to Greece.
Family first, apparently. Even if some of them have rap sheets.
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