The veteran conservative politician has been barred from the 2027 presidential race

The US has condemned the prison sentence handed to veteran French conservative politician Marine Le Pen, who was found guilty of embezzlement and banned from running for president.

On Monday, a Paris court ordered Le Pen, the former head of the National Rally (RN) party, to serve four years in prison, of which two will be suspended, and banned her from holding office for five years. If not overturned, the verdict would effectively bar her from the 2027 presidential election.

The prosecution accused Le Pen of misusing the EU funds intended to pay for her aides when she was a member of the European Parliament. According to the newspaper Le Monde, the prosecutors argued in court that Le Pen and other RN politicians diverted the money to pay for the party's activities in France. Le Pen has described the verdict as politically motivated and promised to launch an appeal.

US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce drew parallels between the case in France and the criminal prosecution of President Donald Trump under the Biden administration. 

"We've got to do more as the West than just talk about democratic values. We must live them," Bruce said. 

"Exclusion of people from the political process is particularly concerning, given the aggressive and corrupt lawfare waged against President Trump here in the United States. We support the right of everyone to offer their views in the public square, agree or disagree," she added.

Bruce noted that, in his speech at the Munich Security Conference in February, Vice President J.D. Vance criticized Germany and other American allies in Europe for what he argued were attempts to restrict political competition. "Democracy rests on the sacred principle that the voice of the people matters. There is no room for firewalls. You either uphold the principle or you don't," Vance said. 

RN President Jordan Bardella has accused the authorities of seeking to eliminate Le Pen from the 2027 election. "They are depriving millions of voters of their choice and therefore of their freedom," he said.

Le Pen ran for president three times, placing second in 2017 and 2022.