French President Emmanuel Macron has filed a lawsuit against conservative pundit Candace Owens after she referred to his wife as a man.
Back in March, Owens posted a video to her YouTube channel titled Is France’s First Lady a Man? adding that her alleged true identity is “likely the biggest scandal in political history.”
Owens went on to make several other videos mocking Brigitte Macron.
“These claims are demonstrably false, and Owens knew they were false when she published them,” the lawsuit reads in part. “Yet, she published them anyway. And the reason is clear: it is not the pursuit of truth, but the pursuit of fame.”
“These lies have caused tremendous damage to the Macrons,” the suit continues. Owens and her entities, it continues, have “subjected the Macrons to a campaign of global humiliation, turning their lives into fodder for profit-driven lies. Owens has dissected their appearance, their marriage, their friends, their family, and their personal history—twisting it all into a grotesque narrative designed to inflame and degrade. The result is relentless bullying on a worldwide scale.”
The Macrons also issued a joint statement:
“Ms. Owens’ campaign of defamation was plainly designed to harass and cause pain to us and our families and to garner attention and notoriety. We gave her every opportunity to back away from these claims, but she refused. It is our earnest hope that this lawsuit will set the record straight and end this campaign of defamation once and for all.”
Emmanuel does not have any biological children with his wife, but he is the stepfather to Brigitte’s three children from her previous marriage: Sébastien, Laurence, and Tiphaine.
Owens also issued a statement, saying she is prepared to fight the allegations and revealed that she had tried to reach out to Brigitte for an interview.
“Candace Owens is not shutting up. This is a foreign government attacking the First Amendment rights of an American independent journalist. Candace repeatedly requested an interview with Brigitte Macron. Instead of offering a comment, Brigitte is resorting to trying to bully a reporter into submission. In France, politicians can bully journalists, but this is not France. It’s America.”