France's Ex-Prime Minister Endorses Macron, Meanwhile A US Senator Accuses Russia Of Meddling In
[Paris, France] The Ex-Prime Minister of France, Manuel Valls, has endorsed one of the leading candidates for the presidency, Emmanuel Macron. This is an interesting revelation as Macron is not a part of Valls' own Socialist Party.
When asked on French TV about his endorsement, Valls commented, "It's a question of reason."
Macron is currently tied with far-right leader Marine Le Pen in the first round of the election.
Valls has expressed his desire to distance himself from the right and far-right and justified his backing of Macron as "the responsible position to take." He commented, "I don't think you take risks for the Republic. So I will vote for Emmanuel Macron. France's best interests go beyond the rules of a primary."
Many in the Socialist Party have accused Manuel Valls of betraying his own party. Benoît Hamon, a Socialist Party candidate, accused party heavyweights, including Valls, of stabbing him in the back and claimed he was the victim of an agenda aimed to undermine him.
In addition to Valls' support of Macron, Defence Minister Yves Le Drian and some junior ministers have also jumped on the bandwagon to back the ambitious candidate.
Meanwhile, United States Senator Richard Burr, who heads the Senate Intelligence Committee, warned Wednesday that Russia may be interfering in the French election just as it supposedly did in the 2016 US presidential campaign.
Senator Burr is said to have access to highly classified intelligence. He claims Russia has shown an interest in disrupting western democratic elections.
Burr commented, "What we might assess was a very covert effort in 2016 in the United States, is a very overt effort, as well as covert, in Germany and France. I remind you that we're within 30 days of the first French election, with four candidates. It will go down to two candidates with a runoff in May. I think it's safe by everybody's judgment that the Russians are actively involved in the French elections."
In addition to his interest in the current French elections, he is also leading the Senate investigation into Russia's alleged interference in the 2016 US presidential campaign. Russian President Vladimir Putin has been directly blamed as the instigator and director of the alleged interference.
Regarding the issue, Burr further commented, "We feel part of our responsibility is to educate the rest of the world about what's going on, because it's now into character assassination of candidates."
