**Trump to Nominate Charles Kushner as Ambassador to France**

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - President-elect Donald Trump announced Saturday his intention to nominate real estate developer Charles Kushner, the father of Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, as ambassador to France. The announcement was made through a post on Truth Social, where Trump described Charles Kushner as "a tremendous business leader, philanthropist, & dealmaker."

Charles Kushner is the founder of Kushner Companies, a significant player in the real estate market. He is also the father of Jared Kushner, who served as a senior adviser in the Trump White House and is married to Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump's eldest daughter.

In December 2020, Trump pardoned Charles Kushner, who had previously pled guilty to charges including tax evasion and making illegal campaign donations. The case also involved allegations of witness tampering; prosecutors claimed that Kushner devised a scheme to intimidate his brother-in-law, who was cooperating with federal authorities. This plan included hiring a prostitute to entrap his brother-in-law, arranging for the encounter to be filmed, and sending the footage to his own sister.

In 2005, Charles Kushner was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to 18 counts, the maximum penalty he could receive under the plea deal. Chris Christie, who was the U.S. attorney for New Jersey at the time and later became governor and a Republican presidential candidate, sought a harsher sentence and has since referred to Kushner's offenses as "one of the most loathsome, disgusting crimes" he prosecuted.

Trump and Charles Kushner have known each other through their connections in the real estate industry, and their families became further intertwined with the marriage of Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump in 2009.