The Senate on Monday confirmed Charles Kushner, father of Jared Kushner and father-in-law of Ivanka Trump, as the next United States Ambassador to France and Monaco.
The confirmation vote of 51-45 saw bipartisan support with Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) voting in favor, while Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) opposed the nomination, reported The Hill.
The appointment of Kushner to the key diplomatic post has drawn scrutiny due to his past legal troubles. Two decades ago, Kushner pleaded guilty to 18 counts, including tax evasion, lying to the Federal Election Commission, and retaliating against a federal witness.
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who led the investigation as US Attorney for the District of New Jersey, previously described Kushner’s crimes as “one of the most loathsome, disgusting crimes” he prosecuted. Kushner served two years in prison before receiving a pardon from President Trump in 2020.
During his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Kushner acknowledged his past.
“I don’t sit here before you today and tell you I’m a perfect person. I am not a perfect person,” he said, adding, “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 had lauded Kushner in November, when he nominated him to the post, as a “tremendous business leader, philanthropist and dealmaker”.