00:00How did disinformation actors claim Macron was tied to Epstein?
00:07French President Emmanuel Macron has been falsely linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein
00:13as part of a pro-Russian disinformation campaign.
00:17This follows the U.S. Justice Department's release of the latest tranche of files
00:21related to the disgraced financier.
00:24The false claims about Macron were initially relayed through a fake story
00:28published on a now-defunct website, which imitated the fringe conspiratorial outlet François.
00:34François responded by stating its identity had been impersonated.
00:39The identity of a French journalist who works for Le Parisien newspaper
00:42was also impersonated for the story's byline.
00:46Doctored email correspondences between Epstein and model agent Jean-Luc Brunel
00:50lie at the heart of the campaign.
00:52The falsified evidence includes email exchanges
00:55in which the pair discussed Macron's alleged plans for a party at Epstein's Paris residence,
01:01the week after he was inaugurated for his first presidential term in May 2017.
01:07I will bring some boys, he likes young boys, Brunel allegedly stated.
01:11Too young is good, we know what he likes, reads Epstein's fictive response.
01:15In reality, there is no trace of these exchanges in the U.S. Justice Department's files.
01:21While the document's reference codes exist, they draw up unrelated entries.
01:26The claims gain significant traction through one video shared by a pro-Russian account on X,
01:31in which the narrator appears to have an AI-generated voice.
01:35While Epstein appears to have an interest in the French leader,
01:38there is no evidence that they directly communicated.
01:41Brunel, on the other hand, did maintain close ties with Epstein.
01:45The model agent was imprisoned in December 2020
01:48for his role recruiting young women for Epstein before dying by suicide in 2022.
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