Jordan Bardella at the European Parliament in Strasbourg in September 2022. The RN president is now at the center of a controversy over writings whose authorship he disputes. Credit: Raphael ATTAL (@BootEXE) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The president of the National Rally announced a defamation lawsuit on September 28, 2026. It follows a Mediapart investigation into private exchanges dated from 2013 to 2015. He denies being the author. Marine Le Pen renewed her support for him the next day in the National Assembly. The affair pits the party’s normalization strategy against writings whose attribution remains contested.
Conversations Dating Back To The Early Days At The National Front
The Mediapart investigation, published on Monday, September 28, is by Alexandre Berteau and Antton Rouget. The two journalists attribute antisemitic and conspiracy-minded messages to Jordan Bardella. They say these would have been exchanged with various interlocutors at the start of his involvement in the National Front, now the National Rally. Several of the conversations they describe would date back to the summer of 2013.
In the writings he is said to have produced, the newspaper points to antisemitic stereotypes about banks. It also mentions claims that give Jews a plan for world domination. It likewise reports favorable assessments of Alain Soral and Dieudonné, as well as attacks targeting members of François Hollande’s government. Jordan Bardella rejects the entire attribution.
This period predates his rise to national responsibilities. He joined the FN in 2012 and took charge of its Seine-Saint-Denis federation in 2014. The extent of his activist involvement in the summer of 2013 is itself one of the points he raises against the investigation.
What Mediapart Says It Verified
The site describes an investigation conducted over several months. It says it worked on dozens of conversations, integrated into a broader documentary set and supplemented by testimony. It says it authenticated them independently.
Questioned on franceinfo on September 28, Alexandre Berteau maintained the attribution of the writings: “These writings are indeed signed by Bardella’s own hand.” The journalist says the necessary checks were carried out before publication. He says his newsroom will respond to challenges both in public debate and in court.
The following day, on RMC, Antton Rouget provided details on the nature of the corpus. He referred to email exchanges between several people and private conversations on Messenger. He says technical checks were carried out, taking into account in particular the fabrication possibilities offered by artificial intelligence. According to him, the work had begun before the summer holidays.
These details describe the verification Mediapart says it carried out. By themselves, they do not constitute outside expert analysis of the documents. Their provenance, dating, and storage conditions remain essential to examining the dispute. Antton Rouget says he is prepared to publish documents if attacks on his newspaper’s work continue.
A Formal Denial And An Announced Lawsuit
In his reaction published on X on September 28, Jordan Bardella calls the documents “blatant fakes.” He accuses part of the press of trying to damage his honor and the RN presidential campaign. He says he has instructed his lawyer to initiate proceedings against Mediapart.
His denial began before publication. In his written response to the newspaper, he denied having made such remarks, either publicly or privately. He also said he was still a minor during the summer of 2013. According to him, he was not then an active National Front activist.
On the evening of September 28, on CNews, he said that his lawyer had filed a defamation complaint. The announcement was also reported by AFP. He mentioned proceedings for forgery and promised material evidence in the days that followed. At this stage, the filing details and the exact content of the complaint have not been confirmed by a public judicial source.
A complaint is neither a court decision nor proof that the documents are fabricated. It is also necessary to distinguish the defamation proceedings said to have been launched from the other steps being considered. Before RN lawmakers on September 29, Jordan Bardella referred to the possible existence of written material. He said that, if it existed, he would file complaints for forgery and use of forged documents.
Marine Le Pen Reaffirms Her Support
During this intervention in the National Assembly, the RN president spoke of “total war.” According to him, it would aim to destabilize his party. Marine Le Pen expressed her confidence in him and announced that she intended to push back against Mediapart’s accusations. Both questioned the intentions of the investigative outlet.
This defense comes a few months ahead of the 2027 presidential election. Marine Le Pen is considering naming Jordan Bardella prime minister in the event of victory. The accusations therefore concern the official she presents to lead a possible government, beyond his role at the head of the party.
One phrase from Marine Le Pen drew a separate reaction. She had asked Mediapart to put on its “Kevlar suit.” Green lawmaker Léa Balage El Mariky then announced a report to the prosecutor. She considers these remarks to resemble death threats.
De-Demonization At The Heart Of The Reactions
Since Marine Le Pen took over leadership in 2011, the party has sought to present itself as a governing-capable movement. It aims to break with its racist and antisemitic legacy. This strategy, commonly called de-demonization, is directly targeted by reactions to the investigation. It notably involves convincing people of the sincerity of its current stance against antisemitism.
Jordan Bardella had been invited by the Israeli government in March 2025 to a conference devoted to fighting antisemitism. He was the first leader of this party to receive such an official invitation in Israel. He recalled this episode in his televised defense.
On September 28, Yonathan Arfi reacted to AFP. The president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France sees in it the “limits of the National Rally’s de-demonization.” He condemned the violence of the remarks attributed to Jordan Bardella and rejected the idea that his youth could explain them.