Get you up to speed: Tensions Rise Between France and US Ambassador Charles Kushner After No-Show
Charles Kushner, the U.S. ambassador to France, did not attend a summons by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, who expressed that Kushner’s absence would impact his ability to perform his duties in France. This incident follows U.S. State Department comments regarding the death of Quentin Deranque, which have drawn criticism from French officials.
The French foreign minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, stated that the US ambassador to Paris, Charles Kushner, will not have access to French government officials until he complies with summonses. According to Barrot, Kushner’s failure to attend a meeting to discuss his comments on the death of Quentin Deranque indicates an “apparent failure to grasp the basic requirements of the ambassadorial mission.”
Jean-Noel Barrot, the French foreign minister, has stated that Charles Kushner, the US ambassador to France, will not have access to members of the French government until he complies with the summons to meet. The French ministry emphasized that Kushner’s failure to attend is an “apparent failure to grasp the basic requirements” of the ambassadorial mission.
What we know so far
France’s row with US ambassador Charles Kushner heats up after meeting no-show
A row between Emmanuel Macron‘s government and the US ambassador to Paris has deepened after the American envoy ignored a summons to meet the French foreign minister.
Charles Kushner – the father of Donald Trump‘s son-in-law, Jared Kushner – had been told to meet Jean-Noel Barrot on Monday evening to explain his recent comments about the killing of a far-right activist in Lyon.
Instead, Mr Kushner said he had a prior engagement and sent a deputy.
An indignant Mr Barrot described the no-show as a “surprise”, adding: “It will, naturally, affect his capacity to exercise his mission in our country.”
The minister also said the US ambassador will not have access to members of the French government until he complies. His ministry accused Kushner of an “apparent failure to grasp the basic requirements of the ambassadorial mission”.
The row began after US comments in social media posts about the death of student Quentin Deranque, 23, who was beaten during a clash between far-right and far-left groups earlier this month.
Image: A wreath at a makeshift memorial to Mr Deranque in Lyon. Pic: Reuters
Following the death, the US state department’s counterterrorism bureau posted on X that “reports, corroborated by the French Minister of the Interior, that Quentin Deranque was killed by left-wing militants, should concern us all”.
It added that “violent radical leftism is on the rise and its role in Quentin Deranque’s death demonstrates the threat it poses to public safety”.
The US Embassy in Paris posted the same statement in French
Paris responded by saying it rejected any attempts to use the incident “for political ends”. Mr Barrot insisted France “must have an explanation” of the comments from Mr Kushner, adding: “We don’t accept that foreign countries can come and interfere, invite themselves, into the national political debate.”
On Saturday, some 3,000 people joined a march in memory of Mr Deranque, 23, whose killing has highlighted deep political tensions in France.
Mr Kushner was previously summoned by French officials last August after his letter alleging the country did not do enough to combat antisemitism.
He did not show up and French officials met with a representative instead.
Image: People hold a banner reading ‘Far left kills’ at Saturday’s march. Pic: AP
The 71-year-old businessman was controversially named US ambassador to France by Donald Trump last year.
In 2020, he was pardoned by Mr Trump after pleading guilty to tax evasion and making illegal campaign donations years earlier.
The US president had known Mr Kushner from real estate circles and their children, Ivanka and Jared, married in 2019.