FLASH
Shkruar nga Fulvio Scaglione
As the end of his second and final term approaches, with polls showing a steady decline, the right poised to rise to power, and presidential elections just a year away, it is understandable that Emmanuel Macron is showing signs of nervousness.
In particular, he is being angered by the “Quentin Deranque case,” the 23-year-old right-wing propagandist beaten to death by left-wing opponents during a series of clashes on the streets of Lyon.
Among the attackers is suspected to be Jacques-Elie Favrot, an aide to MP Raphael Arnault, a member of the far-left La France Insoumise party. Because of this incident, Macron initially maintained a cold stance towards Giorgia Meloni (who responded in kind).
He said she was “guilty” for expressing condolences over the young activist’s death. Then, in an even more sensational move, he launched a full-blown diplomatic spat with the United States.
The clash followed comments by US Ambassador Charles Kushner, who said that incidents of “left-wing” violence were becoming more frequent. Summoned to the State Department for a formal reprimand, Kushner refused to appear (a highly unusual move).
As a result, he was banned from direct contact with members of the French government until he clarified his allegations to the ministry. Kushner appears to be paying the price of being a “repeat offender.” In late August of last year, he declared that France lacked “sufficient action” against anti-Semitism.
Even then, he refused a call from the Foreign Ministry to explain, sending a low-ranking official from the US embassy in Paris instead. Now the tension is spreading to the highest levels.
French Foreign Minister Barrot was harsh, accusing Kouchner of "a clear failure to understand the fundamental requirements of a diplomatic mission and the honor of representing his country."
On the other hand, the US State Department has not stood idly by. "The violent radical left is on the rise, and its role in the death of Quentin Deranque demonstrates the threat it poses to public safety. We will continue to monitor the situation and expect the perpetrators of the violence to be brought to justice," it said in a statement.
Trump and Macron don't like each other, and that's already known. But there's more to this issue. Ambassador Charles Kushner is the father of Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump's husband. So Charles Kushner is Donald Trump's son-in-law.
His son, Jared, although he holds no official position, remains the special envoy that Trump uses for the most delicate negotiations, from Russia, Israel to Iran. So in short, the French are directly attacking the "magic circle" of the White House.
With this move, Paris is also touching on the close relationship between the Kushner family and Israel, a connection based on business (through the company Affinity Partners) and shared family values.
Rae Kushner, Charles' mother, was a Polish woman who escaped the Holocaust to arrive in the US, while Jared Kushner graduated from an Orthodox school before studying at Harvard.
In this vortex, Charles Kushner himself risks being relegated to the background, although he is used to much bigger scandals than this diplomatic one. Known in circles of friends by the nickname Chanan, after an uncle who died in Nazi concentration camps, Charles began his career in the 1980s managing his father's estate.
In 2004, he was fined nearly $600,000 for illegal campaign contributions to Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. The following year, things got worse. He was convicted of 18 charges, including tax evasion and witness tampering.
In an almost cinematic episode, he hired a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law (a witness in the trial), with the aim of blackmailing him into sending the video to his sister. For these acts, “His Excellency” served two years in prison and was disbarred from practicing law.
He had to wait until 2020, when his son-in-law, President Donald Trump, granted him a full presidential pardon. Five years later, Trump appointed him ambassador to France, and the results are what we see today./ Prepared by: Pamphlet
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