Leaking ship

The very existence of the Mediapart report is cause for concern for the National Rally’s leading duo, whose relationship has been tense since a surprise court ruling in July cleared a path for Le Pen to run for the presidency. Bardella, who had been his party’s “Plan B” candidate, has visibly struggled to fall back in line behind his boss as he had to revert back to being her number one supporter. 

“This wasn’t the work of political opponents,” said Gaspard Gantzer, a political communications consultant close to former President François Hollande, hinting at the source for the leak, which draws on internal chats. “That means there is internal score-settling going on … and that doesn’t bode well for them.” 

According to two senior officials close to her, Le Pen and her inner circle were unaware of the ongoing journalistic investigation. “I hadn’t heard a thing about it,” one of them told POLITICO. 

The candidate appeared to be caught off guard when questioned on the subject on the sidelines of the construction trade fair Monday. Visibly annoyed and using strong language, she denounced it as “madness” and “pure folly,” insisting she did not believe it “at all.” 

Le Pen has said Bardella would be her prime minister if she was elected, but speculation was already rife within the party as to whether the National Rally’s current ticket will hold before the news broke. 

“If I were Jordan Bardella, I wouldn’t feel very secure right now,” said Gantzer.