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Donald Trump has selected his son-in-law Jared Kushner’s father, Charles Kushner, to be the next U.S. ambassador to France, the president-elect announced Saturday.

Trump described Charles Kushner as a highly successful business leader, philanthropist and dealmaker with extensive experience in the real estate industry.

“I am pleased to appoint Charles Kushner of New Jersey as U.S. Ambassador to France. “He is a great business leader, philanthropist and dealmaker who will be a strong advocate representing our country and its interests,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

The president-elect also pointed to the connection to Jared Kushner, who is married to Trump’s daughter Ivanka. “His son Jared worked closely with me in the White House, particularly on Operation Warp Speed, criminal justice reform and the Abraham Accords,” Trump wrote in his post.

Charles Kushner was pardoned by Trump in 2020 after being convicted on federal charges in 2005. Chris Christie, who led the case as U.S. attorney for New Jersey, said in 2019 that Kushner had committed “one of the most heinous and heinous crimes” he had ever prosecuted.

Kushner, who was under investigation at the time for illegal campaign contributions, targeted his brother-in-law William Schulder, a former employee who appeared as a witness against the Democratic donor before federal prosecutors. As part of the conspiracy, Kushner hired a prostitute to entice debtors to have sex at a motel while a hidden camera was running. A tape of the encounter was then sent to Kushner’s sister and Schulder’s wife. Ultimately, the intimidation attempt failed and the woman turned against Kushner.

Kushner pleaded guilty in 2005 to 16 counts of tax evasion, one count of retaliating against a federal witness and another count of lying to the Federal Election Commission. He was sentenced to two years in prison.

Trump’s announcement comes as Jared Kushner has said he does not plan to serve in the president-elect’s second administration. Kushner said at an event in Miami in February that he had been “very clear” about his desire to focus on his private equity firm “at this stage” of his life.

However, Kushner is considered central to the new administration’s Middle East efforts, even though he is unlikely to take an official post there, regional diplomats and Trump allies told CNN earlier this month.

Since Trump left office in 2021, Kushner and his wife Ivanka Trump have moved to Miami and largely retreated from politics. Shortly after leaving Washington, Kushner founded an investment fund, Affinity Partners, with major support from sovereign wealth funds in the Gulf region.

During Trump’s first term, Kushner’s fingerprints were found on many, if not all, of the administration’s agenda items, including immigration, relations with China, the Middle East and the White House’s response to the coronavirus.

This story has been updated with additional information.

CNN’s Gregory Krieg, Kevin Liptak, Kylie Atwood and Ali Main contributed to this report.