French Police Raid National Rally HQ in Campaign Finance Probe

French police conducted a raid on the headquarters of Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally (RN) party, seizing emails, documents, and accounting records related to recent electoral campaigns, including the 2022 presidential and parliamentary elections and the 2024 European elections. The investigation focuses on alleged irregularities and violations in campaign financing, such as the use of private loans that may contravene legal regulations, as well as accusations of fraud, laundering, and forgery between 2020 and 2024. RN leaders, including party president Jordan Bardella and parliamentary group leader Marine Le Pen, condemned the raid as politically motivated persecution aimed at preventing the party from gaining power, describing it as an unprecedented attack on democratic pluralism. The probe follows a March conviction for embezzlement of European public funds against Le Pen, which has barred her from running in the 2027 presidential election, a decision currently under appeal. French prosecutors confirmed the ongoing investigation but have not charged any individuals yet. The RN, which is polling near the top nationally and is France's largest parliamentary party, maintains that the operation constitutes harassment and a threat to democratic alternation in France.