On Monday, February 23, France moved to block US envoy Charles Kushner from having access to government ministers, after he failed to show up to explain comments about a killed far-right activist.
The move is the latest instance of diplomatic friction between Paris and the United States under President Donald Trump, with Paris bristling at what it sees as repeated interference by Washington in domestic matters. Kushner, whose son Jared is married to Trump’s daughter Ivanka, has already been summoned once before over his criticism of France’s handling of antisemitism. He skipped that meeting as well, sending another official instead.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot summoned Kushner after the US embassy in Paris reposted comments by the Trump administration in Washington about slain far-right activist Quentin Deranque. Deranque, 23, died from head injuries following clashes between radical-left and far-right supporters on the sidelines of a February 12 protest against a politician from the radical left La France Insoumise (LFI) party in Lyon.
Barrot on Sunday denounced any attempts to exploit the killing “for political ends” and summoned Kushner for a meeting at 7 pm on Monday. But a diplomatic source told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the ambassador sent a senior official from the embassy in his place, citing personal commitments.
“In light of this apparent failure to grasp the basic requirements of the ambassadorial mission and the honor of representing one’s country, the minister [Barrot] has requested that he [Kushner] no longer be allowed direct access to members of the French government,” the Foreign Ministry said. Kushner would, however, be permitted to continue his diplomatic duties and have “exchanges” with officials, it added in a statement. Washington has not commented on this development.
The US administration had denounced far-left political violence and called for those responsible to be brought to justice. Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has also weighed in, triggering a war of words with French President Emmanuel Macron, who urged her to stop “commenting on what happens in other countries.”
Kushner, who took up his post in Paris last year, had already been summoned to the Foreign Ministry at the end of August, after the French government took exception to his criticism that Macron was not tackling antisemitism. The US charge d’affaires – the ambassador’s de facto deputy – attended that meeting.