Like Trump, Marine Le Pen Thinks She is Above The Law

Marine Le Pen is shocked, shocked, to learn that not only was she found guilty by a French court for embezzlement but, as a consequence of her actions, is sentenced to four years in prison (two suspended and two under house arrest) and cannot run for office for five years.

This means, barring an expedited appeal, that Le Pen will not be representing the National Rally (formerly the National Front) in the 2027 French presidential elections. 

Not surprisingly, Le Pen has a friend in President Trump. Well, it takes a convicted criminal to know a convicted criminal.

Like Trump, Le Pen believes she is the above the law. Sure, she and other French politicians voted for tougher anti-corruption laws. Le Pen just doesn't believe the laws and their consequences apply to her. 

Of course, it is quite possible France could rally around Le Pen just like Americans rallied around Trump. But unlike Trump, Le Pen has a young successor waiting in the wings in the form of National Rally President Jordan Bardella, who is not yet 30-years-old. While Bardella condemned the sentence against Le Pen, a few months back he made a point of stating last year that "not having a criminal record is, for me, rule number one when you want to be an MP." 

Aside from not having a criminal record, Bardella does not have the baggage the Le Pen name carries despite her best efforts to distance herself from her father's deep-rooted anti-Semitism. The reality is that Le Pen does not want French Jews wearing yarmulkes nor does she accept that Vichy France aided and abetted the Holocaust.

Of course, it remains to be seen if Bardella can overcome the National Front/National Rally legacy of anti-Semitism which has never receded from the party. Although Bardella attended an anti-Semitism conference in Jerusalem last week, his presence caused many invitees to withdraw their participation.

With that said, I'm not counting out Marine Le Pen nor am I counting out the possibility that French voters will elect her President in 2027 - court verdict or no court verdict.