- In addition to 28 other pardons and commutations that President Donald Trump admitted on Wednesday, Charles Kushner, 66, received full pardon.
- Charles Kushner was investigated by prosecutors for making illegal campaign donations in 2003, at which time his brother-in-law and former business partner William Schulder had assisted prosecutors.
- When Charles heard about Schulder’s collaboration, he hired a sex worker to try to seduce Schulder. The meeting was recorded with a hidden camera, and Kushner provided the tapes to Schulder’s wife in revenge.
- Eventually, Charles pleaded guilty and was charged with 18 counts of aiding and abetting false tax returns, a count of retaliation against a federal witness and a charge of lying to the Federal Electoral Commission. He served a 2-year sentence.
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President Donald Trump continued his pardon on Wednesday, and along with allies and former campaign officials, he pardoned Charles Kushner, father of White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, who is also Trump’s son-in-law.
Elder Kushner was convicted in 2005 of making false tax returns, retaliating against witnesses and making false statements to the Federal Election Commission. He pleaded guilty and served 2 years in prison.
In a press release profiling the 26 new pardons and three commutations announced Wednesday – including GOP strategist Roger Stone and Trump’s former campaign leader Paul Manafort, the White House said that “since ending his sentence in 2006, Mr. Kushner has devoted to important philanthropic organizations and causes. “
‘One of the most heinous, heinous crimes’
Charles Kushner and his father founded the Kushner Companies in 1985. Charles ran the real estate company New York City until he was sentenced to prison in 2005.
In 2003, prosecutors investigated him for making illegal campaign donations, and by that time, his brother-in-law and former business partner William Schulder had assisted their probe.
Charles Kushner in 2004.
Chris Hondros / Getty Images
When Charles first heard about Schulder’s collaboration, he hired a sex worker to try to seduce Schulder and sleep with him, an act that Charles had recorded with a hidden camera. He delivered the tapes to Schulder’s wife in revenge.
Charles eventually pleaded guilty to 16 charges of tax evasion, a count of retaliation by a federal witness and a call to lie to the FEC.
He was serving a 14-month prison sentence in Alabama, where his family visited him weekly, according to the Real Deal.
The former government of New Jersey, Chris Christie, who prosecuted Charles Kushner as the then U.S. attorney for the state, told PBS Margaret Hoover on “Firing Line” in 2019 that it was “one of the most heinous, heinous crimes I prosecuted. “
—Firing Line with Margaret Hoover (@FiringLineShow) January 29, 2019
Jared Kushner has defended his father, and Kushner Companies has been surrounded by other controversies
Although his father admitted his crimes, Jared has often defended Charles.
In 2009, Jared told New York Magazine: “His siblings stole every piece of paper from his office, and they brought it to the government. Siblings, whom he literally made wealthy for doing nothing. He gave them interests in the business for nothing. Everything what he did was put the tape together and send it in. Was that the right thing to do? At the end of the day it was a function of saying, “You’re trying to make my life miserable? Well, I’m doing the same. ‘”
That same year, Jared married Ivanka Trump, the president’s eldest daughter. They have both served as advisers to the White House for the entire Trump presidency. Before serving in the White House, “Kusher transferred large portions of his property and the New York Observer to a family license that was monitored by his mother, Seryl, and sold additional assets to his brother Joshua,” CNN reported at the time.
Kushner Companies, before and after the time of Charles and Jared, have long been shrouded in controversy.
After Jared took over as CEO in 2008, he sold many farms and bought 666 Fifth Avenue, a mixed-use building that has been the source of several complaints and investigations.
According to Town and Country, in 2018, Kushner Companies confirmed that the U.S. attorney in Brooklyn had waived the firm in terms of its support for a program that allowed foreigners to invest $ 500,000 to track down U.S. residence and citizenship. Kushner Companies sold the skyscraper in August 2018.
Jared Kushner also owns several apartment complexes in the Baltimore area that have been involved in housing violations and allegations of mismanagement for years.