A lively verbal game was played Wednesday between ministers Eric Dupond-Moretti to Gerald Darmanin. On the occasion of the Council of Ministers, the Minister of Justice criticized his colleague from the Interior for having “congratulated” Xavier Bertrand for having come largely in the lead of the first round of regional in Hauts-de-France. ” It’s not possible ! “, He rebelled, according to a source close to the government.
If the attitude of Gérald Darmanin did not please the Minister of Justice, it is because he was also a candidate for the regional on the LREM list led in this same region by Laurent Pietraszewski, also a member of the government. Although LREM called to vote for Xavier Bertrand in the second round and Eric Dupond-Moretti tweeted that he will vote “without qualms for Xavier Bertrand”, the latter accused Gerald Darmanin of being guilty of ” treason ”.
“Start by winning an election! “
The Minister of the Interior, who is a friend of Xavier Bertrand, claims this proximity. “I call without difficulty to vote for him. He’s a friend, he said on France Inter on Tuesday. You know my esteem for Xavier Bertrand, he was rewarded for his record ”. Gérald Darmanin, candidate for the northern departmental, was also pleased with his score in his canton, “six times better than the Pietraszewski list”.
Stung to the quick, Gérald Darmanin replied to Eric Dupond-Moretti, according to the same source: “start by winning an election! Another source close to the government assured that the blunder was not born from the message of congratulations addressed to Xavier Bertrand but from the fact that Gerald Darmanin “tackled his colleagues”.
“You don’t have to crush your colleagues”
“Nobody asks you to deny your friends, but for all that, you are not obliged to crush your colleagues”, would have launched the Keeper of the Seals to the Minister of the Interior, reproaching him for “disgusting” remarks for the running mate. Laurent Pietraszewski and a lack of “loyalty”, according to this source.
Another source close to the executive described the exchange between the two men as “quite violent”, specifying that it had taken place “just before” the Council. She also argued that Gérald Darmanin was “untenable” because he made “offs” in all directions to defeat his comrades “.