Filmed with elected officials from the Socialist Party, Thomas Legrand and Patrick Cohen deny any "conspiracy"

In a video released Friday by the conservative media outlet L'Incorrect and filmed in July in a Parisian restaurant, the two journalists, Thomas Legrand and Patrick Cohen, speak with Pierre Jouvet and Luc Broussy, respectively secretary general and president of the national council of the Socialist Party.

During this discussion, Thomas Legrand, who works for France Inter and Libération , declared in particular: "We are doing what is necessary for [Rachida] Dati, Patrick [Cohen] and me."

In a message published on X on Friday evening, the Minister of Culture, nominated as the Republican candidate for mayor of Paris, called for measures to be taken against the two columnists, denouncing "serious and unethical remarks." "Conspiracy," "infiltration," "mafia" : criticism quickly came pouring in, both from the Republicans and from the National Rally and La France Insoumise.

"A shocking video" in which "two essential journalists of the PS officialdom plot to promote an axis "from Ruffin to Canfin" and Glucksmann" , wrote the leader of LFI, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, on X, while the president of the RN, Jordan Bardella, saw it as "further proof" of "the partiality of the "public service" in favor of the left".

"I understand that the broadcast of this video, recorded without the knowledge of the protagonists and what's more truncated, could arouse suspicion," reacted Thomas Legrand in a text sent to AFP and then posted on his social networks on Saturday. "I made clumsy remarks. […] If the turn of phrase, taken from a truncated and private exchange, is unfortunate, I assume to "deal" journalistically with the lies of Madame Dati," he added, a few hours after being suspended from the air "as a precautionary measure."

"The comments made by Thomas Legrand could lead to confusion and fuel suspicions about the use of our channel for partisan purposes. It is my responsibility to protect the channel from all these accusations," explained the director of France Inter, Adèle Van Reeth, in a message broadcast internally and obtained by AFP, to justify her suspension, decided in concert with Thomas Legrand.

"We took bits of sentences. There weren't 20 seconds of continuous conversation. It's completely manipulative," Patrick Cohen, who appeared on France Inter and the C à Vous program (France 5), told AFP. "The irony of the story is that this meeting was requested by the leadership of the Socialist Party, because they are not happy with the treatment of the Socialist Party and Olivier Faure [first secretary of the party, editor's note] on France Inter. So it was anything but a conspiratorial meeting," he added. The two journalists have announced their intention to file a complaint.

The PS defended itself by assuring that "no collusion exists between the Socialist Party and journalists of any kind" , and accuses the media outlet L'Incorrect of having the "sole aim of maintaining a conspiratorial reading of the world".

In June, Rachida Dati had a tense exchange with Patrick Cohen on the set of C à Vous , while she was being interviewed about her legal troubles. The LR elected official responded by threatening to launch an investigation against the journalist for accusations of harassment reported in the press.

Questioned by AFP, the audiovisual regulator Arcom announced this Saturday that it had been notified. "It will gather all the explanatory elements from Radio France and France Télévisions as soon as possible in order to ensure that the public audiovisual service respects its obligations of impartiality and independence, which Arcom is entrusted by law with the mission of guaranteeing," it indicated.