U.S. President Donald Trump has demanded France grant Marine Le Pen political freedom and labelled her ban from running for high office a “witch hunt” which serves as “another example of European Leftists using lawfare to silence free speech.”
Trump made his damning call in a post on his Truth Social social media network:
A Paris court on Monday barred the National Rally leader from running for office for five years after she was convicted of misappropriating over $3.27 million in E.U. funds to pay party staff in France.
The judge overseeing the case called her actions a “serious and lasting attack on democratic rules in Europe, especially France.” In addition to the five-year ban, Le Pen was sentenced to four years in prison (two suspended), house arrest, and fined upwards of $100,000.
She is appealing the decision.
Trump said while he did not know Le Pen, he admired her persistence, saying she “kept on going” despite setbacks. He also called the charge against her a “bookkeeping” error.