Subject: Le Swamp
Today Reuters reported that U.S. ambassador to France and Monaco Charles Kushner has been banned from contact with members of the French government. Kushner is the father of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. Trump pardoned the elder Kushner in December 2020 after he pleaded guilty to tax evasion, lying to the Federal Election Commission, and retaliating against a federal witness. Kushner has twice refused to meet with French foreign ministry officials after interfering with French politics and being summoned, a breach of diplomatic protocol. Max Rego and Laura Kelly of The Hill reported a French official’s explanation: “[I]t’s a question of the basic expectations attached to the mission of an ambassador.”—Heather Cox Richardson