Parliamentary inquiry exposes collusion between French far-right and Russia
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00:00 It's a report that Marine Le Pen's own far-right National Rally Party had instigated,
00:05 in a bid to put to bed the allegations of their ties with Russia.
00:10 Instead the report details their cosy relationship, and Le Pen couldn't hide her annoyance after
00:15 extracts were leaked to French media.
00:18 "This report is a reflection of the rapporteur.
00:24 It's sectarian, dishonest and totally politicised.
00:29 The reality of this report is that there is nothing."
00:32 For the report, which has yet to be formally published, a cross-party committee looked
00:36 into foreign interference in French political and economic life.
00:41 They underline the frequent contact between National Rally MPs and Russian officials,
00:46 and the party's public whitewashing of Russia's actions, particularly with regards to Moscow's
00:51 2014 annexation of Crimea, which Le Pen has repeatedly defended.
00:57 The committee interviewed a series of key figures, including Le Pen last week, where
01:02 she denied any political quid-for-quo in exchange for the Russian loan contracted by her party
01:07 in 2014.
01:08 "I signed a loan with a bank.
01:12 I didn't sign a loan with Vladimir Putin.
01:14 It doesn't commit me to anything."
01:17 The report also asserts that the Russian regime returned the favour, referring to a meeting
01:22 between Le Pen and Vladimir Putin in March 2017, less than four weeks before the French
01:27 presidential election.
01:29 A meeting that only the Russian press was allowed to cover, and that was much anticipated
01:34 by Le Pen, who wanted to build her international standing according to the report, which is
01:39 set to be published in full on Monday.