Jared Kushner And Chris Christie Have An Unusual Connection
Everyone is connected in the overly-complicated, often corrupt world of politics. Still, out of all the politicians, who would've guessed at the long-buried link between former governor Chris Christie and Jared Kushner?
Jared Kushner is nowhere near as vocal as his father-in-law, but his time in the White House, marriage to Ivanka Trump, and family's shady dealings have all placed him under public scrutiny. Many public figures have a bone to pick with the Kushners, and none crave revenge like Chris Christie.
Christie's 2024 presidential campaign again placed him in the spotlight, and he's been all too happy to use it against the Kushners. Christie, who once endorsed Donald Trump, has decided to do a 180 for his campaign, digging up dirt on the famous family of the business tycoon-turned-commander-in-chief. Though Kushner has been known to keep huge secrets during Donald Trump's time in office, Christie has sunken his teeth into one juicy Kushner family secret, and if his recent comments mean anything, he won't relent any time soon.
Christie's beef with the Kushners
Though the Kushners are far from the only famous family that's done terrible things — Hillary and Bill Clinton almost left their daughter Chelsea stranded in Russia — Charles Kushner's crimes are nothing to scoff at. During Chris Christie's law career, he prosecuted Jared Kushner's father for committing tax fraud. He was also accused of "making false statements to the Federal Election Commission" and blackmailing a witness, both of which he pled guilty to, according to the Department of Justice. Kushner was found guilty and sentenced to 14 months in prison.
Christie called this case, specifically the blackmail, "one of the most loathsome, disgusting crimes that [he] prosecuted when [he] was U.S. attorney" in a 2019 interview with PBS. While a lot can be said about Christie himself, Charles Kushner's blackmail would definitely fit that description: he hired a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law, got a private investigator to film it, then mailed the tape to the witness — his sister. This goes way beyond the realm of petty sibling rivalry and into... well, crime.
In 2020, Trump pardoned the elder Kushner for his crimes just before his presidential term ended. This seems like it was the last straw for Christie — after throwing his support behind Trump for his (ultimately unsuccessful) 2020 campaign, he turned against the Trumps and the Kushners, setting his sights on Jared.
Christie's problems with Jared Kushner
Though Chris Christie's issues with the Kushner family started way before Jared's foray into politics, his problems don't stop with Charles. In a video of a campaign stop, Christie pointed out the billions of dollars Kushner accepted from a fund owned by a Saudi prince, who just so happened to be an ally of the Trump administration.
The deal was struck less than a year after Kushner left the White House. Ethics experts at the New York Times suspect the money could be linked to possible dealings with the Saudi government. Christie has his own suspicions: "Jared Kushner and Ivanka Kushner walk out of the White House and months later get $2 billion from the Saudis. You think it's because he's some kind of investing genius? Or do you think it's because he was sitting next to the President of the United States for four years doing favors for the Saudis?" Clearly, there's no love lost there.