US Senate confirms Trump in-law Charles Kushner as ambassador to France
Kushner was pardoned by Trump in December 2020, after pleading guilty years earlier to tax evasion and making illegal campaign donations. Prosecutors alleged that he had hatched a scheme for revenge and intimidation, after discovering that his brother-in-law was cooperating with federal authorities in an investigation, hiring a prostitute and arranging to have the encounter recorded with a hidden camera and sent to his own sister, the man's wife.
'Our European allies are anxious'
Kushner will head to France as the relationship between the two traditional allies, and between the US and the rest of Europe, has been strained over Trump's trade policies and the US role in the Ukraine war. At his confirmation hearing earlier this month, Kushner said he would work closely with France to "bring greater balance to our important economic relationship" and also encourage France to "invest more in its defense capabilities, as well as lead the EU to align with the US vision of increased European commitments to security."
As Trump has rattled traditionally solid relationships with European allies, Kushner said he appreciates the history between the two countries and is "dedicated to building an even stronger relationship." He told senators that he is a child of Holocaust survivors who came to the United States after World War II, and his grandmothers and other members of his family were executed by Nazis.
New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told Kushner that his nomination comes at a "critical time" because "our European allies are anxious."
'One of the most loathsome, disgusting crimes'
Shaheen also asked Kushner about his criminal past. He replied that he made a "very, very, very serious mistake, and I paid a very heavy price for that mistake." Kushner was sentenced in 2005 to two years in prison after pleading guilty to 18 counts, including tax evasion and witness tampering. It was the highest sentence he could receive under a plea deal, but less than what Chris Christie, the US attorney for New Jersey at the time and later governor and Republican presidential candidate, had sought. Christie called it "one of the most loathsome, disgusting crimes" he ever prosecuted as US attorney.
Kushner also agreed to pay $508,900 to the FEC for violating contribution regulations by failing to obtain an OK from partners to whom more than $500,000 in contributions were credited.
Announcing Kushner's pardon in 2020, Trump's first White House cited Kushner's more recent charitable work as the reason he deserved clemency. "This record of reform and charity overshadows Mr. Kushner's conviction and 2 year sentence for preparing false tax returns, witness retaliation, and making false statements" to the Federal Election Commission, the White House said then.
Kushner was confirmed with the support of one Democrat — New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker. In his prepared testimony for his confirmation hearing, Kushner thanked Booker for his "special and close friendship."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Euronews
23 minutes ago
- Euronews
US space agency NASA set to lose around 20 percent of its workforce
Around 20% of staff at the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration, known as NASA, are expected to leave the space agency, a NASA email statement said Friday. According to US media reports, approximately 14,000 people would remain at NASA after the departure of some 3,870 people, though reports said that may change in the days and weeks ahead. NASA employees who chose to leave accepted the Trump administration's "deferred resignation" (DRP) option, according to the space agency's news Chief Cheryl Warner. According to Warner, about 870 personnel applied to leave in the first round, and another 3,000 did so in the second before Friday's deadline. The 500 employees who were let go as a result of regular attrition in the Voluntary Early Retirement Authority and the Voluntary Separation Incentive Program were also included in the figure. 'Safety remains a top priority for our agency as we balance the need to become a more streamlined and more efficient organisation and work to ensure we remain fully capable of pursuing a Golden Era of exploration and innovation, including to the Moon and Mars,' a statement said. Going by the numbers, NASA's staff is expected to shrink to about 14,000 by January next year. On Monday, some 362 signatories of a letter that included scientists and former and present NASA staff members released a statement denouncing budget cuts, grant cancellations, and what they called a "culture of organisational silence" that could endanger the safety of astronauts. The letter titled "Voyager Declaration" was the latest in a series of statements criticising cuts and changes that have been proposed at other government agencies. In his 2026 federal budget proposal, Trump slashed NASA's science budget by almost half and reduced its overall funding by 24%.
LeMonde
2 hours ago
- LeMonde
Donald Trump is on the verge of winning his trade war
When Donald Trump decided, in early spring, to abruptly suspend his unilateral tariffs after triggering a financial panic, the Financial Times published a sarcastic comment about the US president in early May, calling him "TACO" for "Trump always chickens out" in trade negotiations. This infuriated the head of state. "That's a nasty question," he said in the Oval Office of the White House after a journalist asked him about it. On July 15, Wall Street Journal columnist Greg Ip offered a less humorous but more direct evaluation: "Forget TACO. Trump is winning his trade war." The issue is not to defend Trump's trade policy – the WSJ called it "the dumbest trade war in history" – but to analyze whether the president is achieving the goals he set for himself. Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, is set to meet the US head of state in Scotland on Sunday, July 27, in a last-ditch effort to reach a deal before the August 1 deadline to avoid 30% tariffs on European goods. The WSJ columnist recalled that the president's intention was to impose the highest possible tariffs to protect American industry and fund all or part of the income tax. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent used the argument of tariffs as a negotiating tool in an attempt to reassure US partners. But that was not Trump's concern.
Euronews
2 hours ago
- Euronews
Orban vows to veto EU budget over frozen EU funds
The Hungarian government will not vote on the EU budget until Budapest receives its frozen EU funds, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in a speech at the Bálványos Free University on Saturday. According to Orban, the adoption of the EU's record-breaking budget requires unanimity. "And until we get our backlog of money, there will be no new European budget. We will bring it home, and we will not make any concessions on our sovereignty," he said. Approximately €9.5 billion in COVID-19 recovery funding and €8.4 billion in cohesion funds make up the frozen funds by Brussels over persisting concerns about Hungary's democratic backsliding. Brussels and Budapest over the years have been at loggerheads on a range of issues, most recently that of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but the situation has been made worse by the financial issue. Orbán accuses the European Commission of "financial blackmail" and meddling in domestic matters due to its reasons for freezing the funds. Hungary previously unblocked about €10.2 billion of the frozen funds following the adoption of legislation aimed at reducing political meddling in its courts and strengthening judicial independence. However, a complaint was filed by the European Parliament against the EU Commission for its controversial decision to release the €10.2 billion ahead of a crucial summit. Some €18 billion remains frozen, with no signs or indication of progress, but in front of the large audience, Orban vowed to get the EU funds. Orban claims Trump helped avoid World War III The Commission's landmark €2 trillion long-term budget for 2028–2034 emphasises defence and economic competitiveness. For it to pass, it requires unanimous agreement among member states and must also be backed by Parliament, by a majority of its component members. In his speech in Tusványos on Saturday, Viktor Orbán said that the election of US President Donald Trump has helped the world to avoid a third world war for the time being, but the chances of its outbreak are still increasing. Orbán gave a speech with a sinister tone, touching on a variety of topics that included the war in Ukraine and the Fidesz party. The Hungarian PM blasted the EU for backing Ukraine and accused the EU leaders of dangerously waging a trade war with the Trump administration that Europe "cannot win." While some of his claims were typically outlandish, Orban received applause from the audience, with one attendee saying, "We got a very clear, very understandable vision from the Prime Minister. And we are not in an easy situation."
