Jordan Bardella, on BFMTV, should not have insisted on this rule in the middle of Marine Le Pen's trial

POLITICS – An uncomfortable position. Jordan Bardella defended a delicate line Monday November 18 during a live interview on BFMTV. The president of the National Rally declared that “ not have any convictions on your criminal record” was the “ rule number one » to be a party candidate. A statement made with aplomb, until he was reminded of the situation of party leader Marine Le Pen, currently on trial in the parliamentary assistants affair.

“This is always the policy we have followed […] Not having a conviction on your criminal record is for me a number 1 rule when you want to be a parliamentarian of the Republic”, declared Jordan Bardella. An assertion which did not fail to raise a question from journalists: “Wait, what if Marine Le Pen is convicted? »asked Maxime Switek.

Caught off guard, the president of the RN first responded with a dodge: “If, with ifs…”, he stammered. He then asserted that “if, at the start of the year, the judges decided to convict, there would be an appeal”and a call “makes you whiter than white”. What if Marine Le Pen, who does not hide her ambitions for the 2027 presidential election, was convicted on appeal? For Jordan Bardella, such an outcome is simply improbable because “Marine Le Pen is totally innocent”, as you can hear in the extract below.

Faced with the journalist's insistence on this principle of eligibility for the RN, Jordan Bardella confirmed his position, briefly acquiescing to the question of whether this rule of a clean record of any conviction “valid for everyone”. Visibly uncomfortable, the president of the RN finally turned to another journalist present on the set, undoubtedly waiting for a change of subject. A moment of hesitation set in, then he let out a tense laugh, as we can see on https://twitter.com/IliesDjt/status/1858616613097898066. A laugh revealing his discomfort with the situation?

A decision at trial expected in early 2025

Five years of imprisonment, including two years without parole, were requested against Marine Le Pen last Wednesday at the trial of parliamentary assistants of MEPs from the National Rally. The prosecution also requested a five-year ineligibility sentence, with immediate execution, which would prevent the leader of the RN from running in the 2027 presidential election.

The former president of the National Front (now National Rally) is accused of knowingly using European Parliament money to pay parliamentary assistants who in fact worked for the party in Paris.

The outcome of the trial, potentially decisive for the continuation of Marine Le Pen's political career, is expected at the start of 2025. The MP's lawyer will plead before the criminal court on the last day of the trial, November 27 , the day after the defense of the National Rally.

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