Trump Pardons Charles Kushner and 14 Others in Single-Day Corruption Spree

President Trump pardoned his son-in-law Jared Kushner’s father, real estate developer Charles Kushner, along with 14 other allies in a single day, demonstrating brazen nepotism and abuse of presidential clemency power. Charles Kushner had pleaded guilty in 2004 to 18 counts of illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion, and witness tampering in one of the most disturbing federal cases in recent history.

The Kushner Crime

Charles Kushner’s witness tampering scheme was particularly shocking: when he learned his brother-in-law William Schulder was cooperating with federal investigators, Kushner hired a prostitute to seduce Schulder, secretly filmed the encounter, and sent the tape to Schulder’s wife (Kushner’s own sister) in an attempt to intimidate them into silence. U.S. Attorney Chris Christie, who prosecuted the case, called it “one of the most loathsome, disgusting crimes” he had handled in his career.

Kushner pleaded guilty to all 18 counts and served 14 months in federal prison. He was also fined $508,900 and ordered to perform 500 hours of community service. The judge found Kushner showed no remorse and had obstructed justice throughout the investigation. After his release, Kushner was barred from practicing law in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

Single-Day Pardon Spree

The December 23rd pardons included 15 pardons and 5 commutations, many benefiting Trump allies and those connected to his administration:

• Charles Kushner - Witness tampering, tax evasion, illegal campaign contributions
• Paul Erickson - Wire fraud and money laundering (Russian agent Maria Butina’s boyfriend)
• Margaret Hunter - Wife of Rep. Duncan Hunter, campaign finance violations
• Mark Shapiro - Real estate fraud
• Irving Stitsky - Health care fraud

The pardons followed a pattern of rewarding political allies, major donors, and family connections while bypassing the Department of Justice’s Office of the Pardon Attorney, which typically conducts thorough reviews of clemency applications.

Pay-to-Play Pattern

Charles Kushner and his family were major Republican donors, contributing millions to GOP candidates and causes. The Kushner family had donated over $100,000 to Trump’s campaign and inaugural committee. Jared Kushner served as a senior White House adviser throughout Trump’s presidency, giving him direct access to advocate for his father’s pardon.

The timing was particularly brazen—pardoning the father of a current senior White House adviser without any pretense of following normal pardon procedures or considering Department of Justice recommendations. No career prosecutors or pardon attorneys were consulted.

Significance

The Kushner pardon epitomized Trump’s corruption of the pardon power, using executive clemency to benefit his own family rather than serve justice. The pardon of someone who committed witness tampering—sending a sex tape to his own sister to intimidate federal witnesses—demonstrated Trump’s willingness to excuse even the most disturbing crimes when politically expedient. Combined with the other pardons issued that day, it showed a systematic pattern of selling pardons to donors and allies while ignoring the traditional clemency review process.