Marine le Pen found guilty of embezzlement

Politics & Elections
1

Well, hopefully it stands and her influence in France is kept to a minimum. A bit of good news. The article seemed to have changed as I created the post.

2

Great news, and full of delicious schadenfreude. I’m not a Europe expert, but my understanding is that these xenophobes like Le Pen and Nigel Farage ran for the European Parliament with the express purpose of hamstringing and undermining it, all the while complaining back home about how inefficient and useless it is. So it surprises me not one whit that Le Pen would misappropriate funds like this. I love that her downfall (assuming it stands) is coming at the hands of the institution she tried to undermine.

3

France has a long tradition of making examples out of their national leaders, regardless of party or ideological leaning, when they’re caught breaking the law. There are many problems with French culture, but this is not one of them. The US could take a page here.

4

We have actually had a lot of politicians serve time in prison over the decades. This changed with Trump. He should be in jail and 14th amendment’d out of serving as POTUS.

But here we are. And with the SCOTUS ruling in 2024, lawless Presidents mostly can’t be prosecuted for anything if they claim it’s part of their “official duties”. That’s as bad a decision as I can ever remember out of our SCOTUS, with the possible exception of Dred Scott.

5

As others have said, it’s nice to see the courts applying justice to those in power someplace.

A consensus had almost established itself across France’s political world that this ultimate sanction by the court could not, would not – in the end – take place.

6

Of on appeal the judgement stands, she might well be replaced as RN candidate by the seemingly personable (and young male) Jordan Bardella. Which may be the breakthrough the extreme right has been missing over the years

Also worth noting that the seemingly more respectable right is facing its own embarrassment:

7

8

Yes. If the ideas of National Rally are so awesome (they aren’t), they can be championed by another headliner, one with sufficient respect or fear of the law. Either one works.

In the US, the corrupt and corrupted Supreme Court decided that Republican Presidents don’t need to obey the law, but Democratic ones do. The decision had thal level of flexibility, and that level of unconstitutionality: the founding fathers considered giving Presidents immunity, then decided against it.