The report into the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood was expected to be published on Wednesday, but its release was delayed by Macron’s office after the document was leaked to conservative media. An early version of the report seen by POLITICO said that the Muslim Brotherhood had gone to great lengths to push its fundamentalist agenda across France and Europe.
Many in the French government have attributed the leak to Retailleau, a hard-line conservative whose popularity has skyrocketed since joining Macron’s minority government in September. Retailleau on Sunday scored a landslide win to become the next leader of the Les Républicains, the historically dominant French center-right party relegated to political purgatory after Macron’s 2017 election upended French politics. Early polling indicates he could be a serious contender in the 2027 presidential election were he to run.
Retailleau had in recent days discussed the report in multiple interviews with French media, accusing the Muslim Brotherhood of “trying to tip French society into Sharia law.”
One presidential aide sought to downplay the interior ministry’s role on this issue on Tuesday, insisting that all official decisions would be made at a defense cabinet meetings presided over by Macron.
The government official who recounted the scene to POLITICO said Macron appeared to have a “mood swing” at that meeting.
“I’m not sure that he has understood … that it’s the government that governs” rather than the president, said the official.
