Pécresse Says Macron ‘Disavowed’ Beaune After Fillon Comments – HuffPost

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PHILIPPE HUGUEN via AFP

Valérie Pécresse and François Fillon during the 2017 campaign, where the former prime minister was the Republican candidate.

POLITICS – Clément Beaune disavowed at the top? Valérie Pécresse assured this Tuesday, February 22 that the Secretary of State for European Affairs had been “disavowed” by Emmanuel Macron after accusing Francois Fillon of “complicity” with Vladimir Poutine.

François Fillon, former Prime Minister of Nicolas Sarkozy (2007-2012), joined the board of directors of the Russian petrochemical giant Sibur in December. The group is notably controlled by Leonid Mikhelson, one of the richest men in Russia, and Gennady Timchenko, a close associate of President Vladimir Putin.

Sunday, Clément Beaune had declared that the ex-prime minister had made himself “accomplice” of Vladimir Putin by joining this company. “When you are a former Prime Minister, and I have respect for the Prime Minister that François Fillon was, you dishonor yourself when at times (…) like this you put yourself at the service of Russian financial interests close to the Russian state,” he said. He had summoned Valérie Pécresse to clarify her position. “Does she consider this to be the right attitude towards Russia?” he asked.

Fillon called Macron to “be indignant”

Valérie Pécresse answered him on Tuesday, but perhaps not as the Secretary of State hoped. On France Inter, the LR presidential candidate assured that François Fillon “called Emmanuel Macron to be surprised and indignant at these remarks and Emmanuel Macron disavowed Mr. Beaune”.

“I am in the opposition, but I show dignity and I do not attack the President of the Republic even when I have the feeling that he is instrumentalizing an international cause for electoral purposes”, explained Valérie Pécresse. “I show dignity and I also expect the majority to show a little dignity in this case”, she added, denouncing “purely political attacks”.

“The campaign should not be an opportunity to sink into the most total indignity,” she asked. “Emmanuel Macron is now in charge of the EU, in charge of this great responsibility, I think that does not tolerate political campaign polemics,” she said.

See also on The HuffPost: “Pécresse is the only one who can defeat Macron”, why these LR activists are optimistic