By canceling a decree of August 2018, which allowed the government to appoint the holders of 22 consul posts, the Council of State cancels the appointment of the writer Philippe Besson, close to Emmanuel Macron.
The Council of State canceled a decree of August 2018 which allowed the appointment of the writer Philippe Besson, friend of Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron, to the post of consul general in Los Angeles.
Emmanuel Macron had forbidden any "cronyism". In a ruling released Wednesday, the State Council, seized by the CFDT trade union of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, rescinded the text, which gave the government the possibility to appoint the holders of 22 consul posts around the world, including the from Los Angeles.
These 22 posts were previously vested in staff under the status of diplomatic and consular agents and the appointment of a close to the President of the Republic, non-diplomat, to the prestigious post of Los Angeles had aroused strong criticism. When asked about the question, Emmanuel Macron said: "I do not have any cronyism for services rendered".
A novel by Besson tells the rise of Emmanuel Macron. Renowned as close to the presidential couple, Philippe Besson, also a screenwriter, is the author of about twenty novels, one of which, entitled A character of romance , narrates the conquest of the Elysee by Emmanuel Macron, whose campaign he followed as a privileged witness. The CFDT had reacted to the publication of this decree, dated August 3, published on the 4th, by a titled statement of the question: "A reform in the service of special interests?"
The editor of Philippe Besson, Julliard, had indicated in September that he would wait for the outcome before going to the American city to take the post that had, in his time, been occupied by the writer Romain Gary.