France: In the National Assembly, Marine Le Pen denies any submission to Russia

Marine Le Pen was heard on Wednesday 24 May at the National Assembly, during the last hearing of the commission of inquiry triggered by her party, the National Rally, on foreign interference in France. For four hours, the far-right leader responded to the accusations of a dozen MPs from the majority and the Nupes on her links with Russia and the conditions for granting a loan by a Russian bank. Result: no facts established with certainty, and a political platform offered to the boss of the RN.

Audio 01:15

The boss of the National Rally deputies, Marine Le Pen, at the National Assembly on May 24, 2023. AFP - CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT

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Was Marine Le Pen used by Russia in exchange for a loan of more than 9 million euros in 2014? Wednesday's hearing lasted nearly four hours, with each time the same answer hammered by the triple presidential candidate: "The arrival of a loan, never changed one iota of the position and ideas that were ours.

The boss of the RN deputies denounced political maneuvers and posed as a victim: "I suffered from an unacceptable smear campaign." Marine Le Pen dissociated herself from her MEPs when it came to their pro-Russian positions, their suspicious trips to Russia or annexed Crimea, and denied all the accusations of the committee: "I never mentioned the existence of this loan in the conversation I had in 2017 with Vladimir Putin.

Sometimes annoyed, the candidacy for the 2012, 2017 and 2022 presidential elections became impatient, shrugged and grimaced, but also took advantage of this platform to scratch the current government: "The French government is unable to allow a candidate from a major party to find funding.

This hearing did not prove the slightest link between the Russian government and Marine Le Pen. Like this commission of inquiry which will above all allow the RN to whitewash the one that is already preparing for 2027.

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Read on on the same topics:

• France
• French politics
• Marine Le Pen
• Russia
• Vladimir Poutine