The US has condemned the four-year prison sentence handed down to French conservative politician Marine Le Pen, who was found guilty of embezzling European Union funds and is now barred from running in the 2027 presidential election.
A Paris court on Monday sentenced Le Pen, the former leader of the National Rally (RN) party, to four years in prison, with two years suspended and two years to be served with an electronic ankle tag. Le Pen will also lose her voting rights for five years, which would disqualify her from the 2027 presidential election if the verdict is not overturned.
The prosecution accused Le Pen of misusing EU funds, which she used to pay her advisors during her time as a European Parliament member. According to Le Monde, the prosecution argued that Le Pen and other RN politicians diverted the funds to finance the party’s activities in France. Le Pen described the verdict as politically motivated and vowed to appeal.
The US government has criticized the verdict, with US President Donald Trump calling it “a very big deal.” “I know all about it and many people thought she would not be convicted” he said.
The US State Department also expressed concern, with a spokesperson drawing parallels between the French case and the legal proceedings against former US President Donald Trump, whom the Biden administration and Democrats have accused of political motivations.
The spokesperson, Tammy Bruce, said, “We must as a West live the democratic values we talk about. The exclusion of people from the political process is particularly alarming in the face of aggressive and corrupt legislation being pursued against former President Trump. We support the right of every individual to express their opinion in the public sphere, regardless of whether they agree or not.”
Bruce also referred to a recent speech by US Vice President J.D. Vance at the Munich Security Conference, in which he criticized Germany and other US allies in Europe for attempting to limit political competition. “Democracy is built on the sacred principle that the voice of the people counts. There is no room for firewalls. Either you uphold the principle or not” Vance had said.
RN President Jordan Bardella accused the authorities of seeking to disenfranchise millions of voters, saying, “You are depriving millions of voters of their right and their freedom.