Donald Trump’s latest flurry of presidential pardons for allies included a family member, Charles Kushner, who was jailed 15 years ago for tax evasion, making illegal campaign donations and tampering with a witness, his brother-in-law, by orchestrating a sex tape with a sex worker and sending it to the man’s wife.
Charles Kushner is the father of Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. His name shot up on Twitter’s list of trending topics on Wednesday after the White House announced he had been granted clemency, along with Trump’s friend and confidant Roger Stone, former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and 26 others.
Critics noted Kushner’s crimes had been described by the prosecutor, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, as “one of the most loathsome, disgusting crimes that I prosecuted when I was US attorney.”
Kushner pleaded guilty in 2004 to 18 counts of tax evasion, witness tampering and making illegal campaign donations. He confessed to retaliating against his brother-in-law, who was cooperating with federal authorities, by hiring a prostitute to seduce him. He filmed the encounter and sent it to his sister, the man’s wife.
Charles Kushner served 14 months of a two-year sentence in federal prison.
Twitter users, journalists and critics offered a recap of his crimes after his pardon.