The new US ambassador to France is set to begin work in the coming days, after the US Senate approved the controversial appointment of businessman and former attorney Charles Kushner.
Mr Kushner, 71, was approved by 51 votes to 45 in the political chamber, backed by Republicans and one Democrat.
He says he wants to focus mainly on improving business ties - and cutting regulation - between France and the United States but also encouraging France to increase military and defence spending.
The real estate mogul is not only a close political ally of Donald Trump, but a member of his extended family – his son, Jared Kushner, is married to Mr Trump’s daughter Ivanka.
This though is not the main cause of controversy surrounding his appointment - it is more that Kushner spent two years in prison after pleading guilty to felonies including tax evasion, witness tampering, and illegal campaign contributions.
This included an attempted sting operation against his brother-in-law, who was helping federal authorities investigate Mr Kushner’s alleged crimes.
He hired a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law, record the interaction via a hidden camera and send it to his wife (Mr Kushner’s sister, Esther) as blackmail.
Subsequently debarred from working as an attorney – but retaining his property empire – he was fully pardoned by Mr Trump at the end of his first term as president. He donated $1 million to a pro-Trump lobby in the run-up to the 2024 election.
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The appointment of a Trump confidante to a major foreign post has become somewhat of a trend, with several close associates and extended family members being handed similar roles since the president’s re-election.
This includes appointments to ambassadorial roles in Greece for Kimberly Guilfoyle (former fiancée of Donald Trump Jr), as well as a senior advisor spot in the Middle East for Massad Boulos (father-in-law of Donald Trump’s daughter Tiffany).
The US Embassy in Paris, located on Avenue Gabriel in the 8th arrondissementSpech/Shutterstock
Focus on business
During his Senate hearing for the role, Mr Kushner said he does not know “about French art or wine…. [But has] a lot to say about business.”
“I am dedicated to building an even stronger relationship between the United States and our oldest ally, France,” he said.
He wants to “work closely with France to bring greater balance to our important economic relationship,” he added.
Referencing his “past mistakes” he claimed he had paid a “heavy price” for them, but they would make him “more qualified to do this job.”
On top of this, his close relations to the president may be beneficial to communications between the two powers.
“The Trump administration is completely dysfunctional. Having someone close to the White House will allow Paris to get messages across,” said former US ambassador to France Gérard Araud to media outlet Euractiv.
“When I was posted in Washington in 2017, senior US officials didn’t know what Trump would say that day or what he meant by what he said the day before. I constantly had to tell Mr Macron to call the American president,” he added.
