The US ambassador to France, Charles Kushner, has been barred from meeting with French government officials after failing to attend a formal summons at the foreign ministry. The ministry summoned Kushner over US comments regarding the death of a far-right activist in France, which Paris viewed as interference in its domestic affairs.
Kushner, the father of Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared, called French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot on Tuesday to pledge non-interference. Barrot reiterated that France 'cannot accept any form of interference or manipulation of its national public debate by authorities of a third country.' The two agreed to meet in the coming days, but no timeline was given for restoring Kushner's diplomatic access.
The dispute began after the US embassy in Paris reposted a State Department statement on the killing of Quentin Deranque, a far-right activist who died in clashes in Lyon on 12 February. The State Department's Bureau of Counterterrorism described 'violent radical leftism' as a rising public safety threat. France rejected the remarks as an attempt to exploit the tragedy.
This is the second time Kushner has failed to attend a summons from the French ministry. In August, he skipped a meeting after writing an open letter to President Macron criticising the government's response to antisemitism. Diplomatic sources said Kushner cited personal commitments for his absence, sending a senior embassy official instead.
The incident has not affected broader US-France relations, which Barrot said have 'weathered other storms,' but it has strained Kushner's ability to carry out his mission. The spat follows a similar row between Belgium and the US ambassador in Brussels over comments on an investigation into illegal circumcisions.
