The National Rally (RN) has not finished with defections and departures from its ranks. As he cast doubt on “what he would do in a month”, MEP and leading member of the RN Nicolas Bay was suspended on Tuesday, February 15, from his functions within the party for having transmitted information to the rival of Marine Le Pen, Eric Zemmour, whom he plans to join, announced the party leadership.
“We have had confirmation that Nicolas Bay, taking advantage of his presence in the highest instances of the campaign, has been transmitting strategic and confidential elements to our direct competitor Eric Zemmour for months. (…) The executive office of the RN has taken the decision to suspend him from his campaign spokesperson, as well as from all his other responsibilities.wrote the executive office (management) of the RN in a message to the executives of the movement, referring to a “true sabotage”.
The spokesperson for Marine Le Pen’s third presidential campaign reacted on Twitter, denouncing “ a crude accusation: not participating in any instance of the campaign management, how could I have known and transmitted so-called “strategic information”! ? »
Barely an hour after asking for a discussion in the Executive Board, I am suspended! The prosecution is gr… https://t.co/q23lFP8Xfd
“Campaign of Sabotage”
During a press conference given in Villers-Cotterêts (Aisne) at midday, Marine Le Pen denounced a “sabotage campaign” at the National Rally. A hollow comment addressed to elected officials who rallied Eric Zemmour and a reference to the doubts cast over his departure by Nicolas Bay, until then a member of the party leadership and spokesperson for the candidate.
Mme Le Pen has “asked those operating the slug strategy to please expedite their departure”. “I call it the slug strategy, not only because the slug is slow but also because it is sticky”she quipped.
“A certain number, in fact, have carried out real internal sabotage campaigns, and that is unforgivable”continued the RN candidate, before adding:
” Departure can be forgivable, but sabotage, which consists of staying for weeks and weeks in authorities, at the nuclear heart of the organization of a presidential campaign, in order to be able to obtain information on this campaign and incidentally in certain cases to transmit it to a political competitor, I consider that to be high treason. »
The tension had risen a notch within the ranks of the party, at the end of January, after the holding of a televised duplex in which Mr Bay had been hesitant as to his possible support for Eric Zemmour. If the RN MEP had assured support ” without ambiguity “ Marine Le Pen, he had sown doubt by launching: “I don’t have to justify myself on what I will be doing in a month, six months or a year. (…) I don’t consider Eric Zemmour to be an enemy. »
Mme Le Pen has faced several defections in recent weeks for the benefit of the former polemicist, in particular those of MEPs Gilbert Collard and Jérôme Rivière, and of the only RN senator and elected official from Bouches-du-Rhône, Stéphane Ravier.