"A French magistrate says she was contacted by high-ranking American officials who asked her to intervene in Marine Le Pen's appeal case against her conviction for embezzlement. Magali Lafourcade, Secretary General of France's independent human rights institution the Commission nationale consultative des droits de l'homme (CDCDH), told AFP she was approached a few months ago by State Department adviser Samuel Samson and Christopher Anderson, a diplomat from the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor."
"She says that the pair asked her about the criminal case involving French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who was convicted of embezzlement in a French court last year, and is currently appealing against her conviction and sentence, which includes a five-year ban on running for office. Samson had previously called for American taxpayer money to support Le Pen, who leads the Rassemblement National party."
"According to Lafourcade, the pair were looking for, "evidence to support a theory that could perhaps have been used to spread disinformation or manipulate public debate". Le Pen's political future remains legally uncertain. She has been in court in the past week, appealing against her conviction in March 2025 for embezzlement relating to a 'fake jobs' scheme in the European Parliament."
Magali Lafourcade, Secretary General of the CDCDH, was contacted a few months ago by State Department adviser Samuel Samson and diplomat Christopher Anderson. The pair inquired about Marine Le Pen's criminal case and ongoing appeal after her embezzlement conviction and a sentence that includes a five-year ban on running for office. Samson previously advocated using American taxpayer funds to support Le Pen. The visitors sought "evidence to support a theory" that could be used to spread disinformation or manipulate public debate. The conviction concerned a 'fake jobs' scheme in the European Parliament; the appeals court will rule later this year.
Read at The Local France
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