French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has urged U.S ambassador to France Charles Kushner to respond to a summons, warning that he won’t be able to “exercise his mission” in the country if he doesn’t.
“There is nothing more usual than summoning an ambassador when explanations need to be made,” Barrot told public broadcaster France Info on Tuesday, indicating that Kushner will be prohibited from access to French ministers in the meantime.
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“When these explanations have taken place, then the U.S. ambassador in France will, naturally, regain access to members of the French government,” he said.
Kushner, the father of President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared, was summoned for a meeting with the Foreign Ministry by Barrot on Sunday over comments made by the U.S. State Department and the embassy in Paris via social media. But according to French media, he failed to show.
The posts in question are related to the death of far-right activist Quentin Deranque, who died earlier this month after sustaining brain injuries during a reported clash between far-right and far-left groups in Lyon.
The U.S. State Department’s Counter Terrorism Bureau said Thursday that Deranque was “killed by left-wing militants” and that these reports had been “corroborated by the French Minister of the Interior.”
“Violent radical leftism is on the rise and its role in Quentin Deranque’s death demonstrates the threat it poses to public safety. We will continue to monitor the situation and expect to see the perpetrators of violence brought to justice,” the statement read.
The post was reshared by the U.S. embassy in Paris the following day.
Barrot issued a strong rebuke of the statements from U.S. bureaus.
“We reject any instrumentalization of this tragedy, which has plunged a French family into mourning, for political ends,” he said Sunday. “We have no lessons to learn, particularly on the issue of violence, from the international reactionary movement.”
TIME has reached out to the U.S. embassy in Paris and Kushner’s representatives for comment.
France previously summoned Kushner last year after he accused the French government of fuelling antisemitism through its criticisms of Israel. France’s Foreign Ministry refuted the allegations, which were backed by the U.S. State Department. Instead of reporting to the ministry, Kushner reportedly sent the U.S. embassy’s charge d’affaires in his place, according to AFP.
Trump announced his intention to nominate Kushner to serve as ambassador to France in November 2024, following his presidential election victory. Some considered it to be a controversial pick, given Kushner’s previous conviction for tax evasion and witness tampering, among other federal charges. Trump pardoned Kushner during his first term in 2020.
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