France Ambassador Charles Kushner banned from meeting officials after summons no-show
Historically, the job of U.S. ambassadors stationed in friendly countries has been to quietly iron out disagreements when they arise. But the envoys sent to Europe by President Donald Trump find themselves increasingly at the heart of controversies.
France on Tuesday demanded an explanation from Charles Kushner, the US ambassador in Paris, as to why he did not appear when summoned to explain comments made by the Trump administration that France objected to.
The State Department said it was concerned about the rise of “violent radical leftism” after the assassination of a French far-right activist.
In response, France banned Kushner, the father of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, from meeting with French officials.
“When these explanations have taken place, the American ambassador to France will naturally regain access to members of the French government,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told the France Info channel on Tuesday.
Until then, banning Kushner “will naturally affect his ability to carry out his mission in our country,” Barrot said.
Quentin Deranque, 23, a far-right activist, died last month of brain damage after being beaten during left-right violence on the sidelines of a student rally in Lyon, France.
Seven people have been charged in connection with the death, including a collaborator of a deputy from the left-wing La France Insoumise (LFI) party, who condemned the murder.
Last week, the State Department’s Office of Counterterrorism published on X that Deranque’s killing “by left-wing activists, this should concern us all.”
He added: “Violent radical leftism is on the rise and its role in the death of Quentin Deranque demonstrates the threat it poses to public safety. We will continue to monitor the situation and hope to see the perpetrators of violence brought to justice.”
The American Embassy in Paris republished this statement on X.
A French diplomatic official told NBC News on Sunday that Kushner had been summoned to the French Foreign Ministry at the Quai d’Orsay.
“He did not show up,” according to a statement from a senior ministry official on Monday.
The comments about Deranque concerned a “tragedy that occurred in France and only concern our national public debate, which we refuse to allow to be exploited,” the official said.
“Faced with this apparent incomprehension of the fundamental expectations of an ambassador who has the honor of representing his country, the minister asked that he no longer be granted direct access to members of the French government.”
Kushner can still “iron out the irritants that inevitably arise in a 250-year-old friendship” if he runs for office, the official added.
On Tuesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarified that “not showing up is a personal responsibility” and that this “in no way affects relations between France and the United States.”
The U.S. Embassy in Paris did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News.
Such clashes between American diplomats and their hosts – often seemingly allies – have become increasingly common.
Trump officials have openly chastised their European partners on everything from defense spending and immigration to “free speech” and the allegation that their governments are too liberal and “woke.”
Kushner himself was summoned last August after accusing President Emmanuel Macron of failing to combat anti-Semitism. Macron called it “an unacceptable statement for someone who is supposed to be diplomatic.”
In neighboring Belgium, American Ambassador Bill White was himself summoned last week after accusing his hosts of “unacceptable harassment of the Jewish community”. This followed an investigation into three men suspected of performing circumcisions without certified medical training.
Belgian authorities have strongly denied the claim, saying circumcisions are permitted under strict health and safety standards. “Personal attacks against a Belgian minister and interference in judicial matters violate fundamental diplomatic norms,” Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot wrote in a message on X.
Meanwhile, Tom Rose, Washington’s diplomat in Poland, said the United States would cut ties with a speaker of Parliament who said Trump did not deserve the Nobel Peace Prize. Prime Minister Donald Tusk responded: “Allies must respect each other, not lecture each other. »
Last month, Trump’s nominee for Icelandic ambassador, Billy Long, apologized after his “joke” that Iceland could become the 51st state. That sparked an outpouring of anger, including a petition to reject Long’s nomination, signed by nearly 5,500 people.
And beyond Europe, the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, sparked uproar across much of the Middle East after suggesting that Israel had a biblical right to seize large swathes of the region.
