France cut off US ambassador Charles Kushner’s contact to French government officials after he failed to show up for a summons over US state department comments about the killing of a far-right activist in Lyon.
“In light of this apparent failure to grasp the basic requirements of the ambassadorial mission and the honour of representing one’s country”, France’s foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot “has requested that he no longer be allowed direct access to members of the French government”, the ministry said in a statement late on Monday.
The restriction on Kushner marks an unusual rebuke between long-standing allies. It was the second time Kushner did not come in person to a French foreign ministry summons.
In August, Kushner sent his deputy to receive a dressing-down after he sparked the French government’s ire with an editorial that accused president Emmanuel Macron of not doing enough to fight anti-Semitism.
In an interview with France Info radio on Tuesday morning, Barrot said the ban will “naturally” affect Kushner’s ability to carry out his duties as an ambassador. The minister said the diplomat, father of Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, will not recover the access until he explains himself to the foreign ministry.
Protesters hold a banner during a march in tribute to far-right activist Quentin Deranque, who died after being attacked on the sidelines of a far-right protest in Lyon last week. Photograph: Olivier Chassignole/AFP via Getty Images
Kushner had been summoned to the French foreign ministry after the US embassy in Paris reposted a message on X from the US state department’s bureau of counterterrorism warning that “violent radical leftism” was on the rise and citing the killing of the young activist as evidence of a threat to public safety.
In the radio interview, Barrot said he expected Kushner to also explain recent US sanctions on French officials, including ex-European Union commissioner Thierry Breton.
A spokesman for the US embassy in Paris did not respond to a voicemail message. The embassy press office didn’t reply to an email requesting comment.
Deranque (23), described in French media as a far-right activist, died last weekend following a fight in Lyon with alleged hard-left supporters.
A march on Saturday to honour Deranque, organised by far-right groups totalling about 3,200 people, took place in Lyon without violence and with a large police presence on the streets. Local media reported that authorities have asked police to investigate Nazi salutes and homophobic and racist slurs during the event.
During his first term as US president, Trump granted a pardon to Charles Kushner, a property developer.
Kushner was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty in 2004 to 18 counts of tax evasion, witness tampering and making unlawful campaign donations.
In an unusual twist, the man who prosecuted Charles Kushner was Chris Christie, now the former governor of New Jersey, who also has served as an adviser to Trump.
Christie was quoted by CNN as saying Charles Kushner’s case was “one of the most loathsome, disgusting crimes” he prosecuted. – Bloomberg