Trump pardons Jared Kushner’s father
Outgoing President gives reprove to Charles Kushner, who was convicted in case that included entrapping his brother-in-law with a prostitute
President Donald Trump has pardoned Charles Kushner, his son-in-law’s father, as part of a spree of pardons — mostly to personal associates — in the final weeks of his presidency.
Charles Kushner, whose son Jared is married to Ivanka Trump, went to jail in 2005 for fraud, tax evasion and witness tampering. His crime generated national headlines long before his Trump connection because it included paying a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law.
Charles Kushner served 14 months at a minimum-security prison camp in Alabama and 10 months at a halfway house in New Jersey. Jared Kushner, his father-in-law’s closest adviser, never forgave the prosecutor in the case, Chris Christie, who would go on to become New Jersey governor and one of Trump’s most loyal campaigners in 2016. Kushner nixed any role for Christie in the Trump administration.
Now, Trump has pardoned Charles Kushner for the crime, citing his record of giving since his release from prison.
“Since completing his sentence in 2006, Mr. Kushner has been devoted to important philanthropic organisations and causes, such as Saint Barnabas Medical Center and United Cerebral Palsy,” said the statement released Wednesday night by the White House. “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 flood of pardons, issued Tuesday and Wednesday, is packed with figures who are close to Trump, including several who were convicted of crimes related to the federal probe into Russian interference on Trump’s behalf in the 2016 election. Historians say no president has pardoned more associates than Trump.
The details of Charles Kushner’s crimes are memorable. A one-time major Democratic donor and macher in Orthodox Jewish and federation fundraising circles, he set up his sister Esther’s husband, Bill Schulder, with a woman who seduced Schulder at his favourite diner, Time to Eat in Bridgewater, New Jersey.
The woman lured Schulder to her hotel room and secretly filmed the encounter. Charles Kushner, incensed that his brother-in-law was testifying against him in a tax evasion case, mailed the videotape anonymously, and his sister Esther immediately understood it as a warning not to testify. The Schulders received the tape as they were getting ready for their son’s engagement party.
One odd twist to the Kushner pardon is whom Trump cites as recommending it. Such citations often include prosecutors or judges involved in the trial or victims of the crime who say the miscreant has redeemed himself, or figures with expertise in the area.
Recommending Kushner for a pardon are Matt Schlapp, one of Trump’s most fervent defenders and the chairman of the American Conservative Union; David Safavian, a deputy director for the American Conservative Union whom Trump pardoned for perjury in February; and Brett Tolman, a former federal prosecutor in Utah.
The Kushner pardon came in a batch that also include Roger Stone and Paul Manafort, Trump associates who declined to participate in federal inquiries into the Trump campaign’s dealings with Russian officials.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
