Massad Boulos has no meaningful diplomatic experience, but he is Tiffany Trump’s father-in-law; he campaigned for the Republican ticket this year; and that is why Donald Trump has chosen him to be his senior adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs during his second term.
But it turns out the president-elect’s other daughter also has a father-in-law, who is also poised to take on a notable position in the second Trump administration. NBC News reported:
President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday he would nominate Charles Kushner, a real estate developer and the father of his son-in-law Jared Kushner, as ambassador to France. … The president-elect also mentioned his son-in-law Jared Kushner, who is married to Ivanka Trump, in the post, highlighting the work Jared Kushner did during his first administration.
At first glance, it may seem curious that the president-elect picked members of his extended family for government jobs twice in the same weekend.
But when it comes to Charles Kushner, there’s a little more to this story.
Kushner is perhaps best known for being convicted of tax evasion, witness tampering and making illegal campaign contributions. Of particular interest, however, was the fact that, according to evidence uncovered by prosecutors, Kushner hired a prostitute to lure his brother-in-law — who had agreed to testify against him — to a motel room and then sent a video recording. of the sexual encounter with Kushner’s sister, all in the hopes of keeping him quiet.
None other than former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie prosecuted the case during his tenure as U.S. attorney, later calling Kushner’s actions “one of the most disgusting, disgusting crimes I have prosecuted.”
As the NBC News report added, “In 2005, the elder Kushner was sentenced to two years in prison as part of a plea deal after pleading guilty to 18 charges.”
Shortly before Christmas Eve 2020, as Trump prepared to leave the White House and his political career seemed unlikely to recover, then-President Kushner pardoned him.
Apparently that gift wasn’t big enough — and four years later, the president-elect decided to reward Kushner with a diplomatic position as well.
As a rule, it is not common for people to move from prison to an ambassadorial position in Paris, but in Trump’s world strange things are happening.
To be fair, this is hardly the most controversial of the Republican’s many ridiculous personnel choices, and no one would be shocked if the Republican Party-led Senate confirms Kushner to the diplomatic post next year.
But as the process continues, it’s worth appreciating what Trump and his team are doing to lower today’s workforce standards. It’s also worth wondering whether anyone else in Trump’s family could soon be tapped for interesting federal jobs as well.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
