ART OF THE DEAL

Kushner Pal Pardoned by Trump Pleads Guilty to Stalking

Trump pardoned Ken Kurson in his final days as president, but the Manhattan D.A. simply filed fresh charges against him for illegally spying on his wife during a messy divorce.

Ken Kurson, a former newspaper editor and a pal of Jared Kushner, took a plea deal on Wednesday on charges related to the cyberstalking of his ex-wife. The former New York Observer editor’s downfall began in 2018 when he was handed a cushy advisory role by then-President Donald Trump. When the FBI conducted a standard background check, they uncovered evidence that he’d harassed several people. He was subsequently charged for his insane post-divorce meltdown, in which he allegedly stalked his ex-wife and two others, including a friend whom he blamed for the breakdown of the marriage. Trump pardoned Kurson in his final days as president, but the Manhattan District Attorney simply filed fresh charges against the ex-editor for illegally using spyware to access his wife’s communications. Kurson pleaded guilty Wednesday to two misdemeanors, with the D.A. agreeing to downgrade the felony charges. If Kurson does 100 hours of community service and doesn’t commit any other crimes in the next year, his pleas will be replaced with a plea to a lesser violation.