Sarah Knafo, les dessous d'une ascension politique et médiatique | Complément d’enquête

Summary

The report examines Sarah Knafo’s rapid rise from behind-the-scenes adviser to a prominent public face of Reconquête, the far-right party led by her partner, Éric Zemmour. It asks whether she is beginning to eclipse him and how she has built her profile through tightly managed communications, frequent media appearances, and a less confrontational public style than Zemmour’s. Her book attacking government waste has reportedly sold hundreds of thousands of copies.

The programme traces Knafo’s political path, from activism in the UMP and networking at Sciences Po to her work at the Court of Auditors and her role in Zemmour’s 2022 presidential campaign. Several former associates describe her as ambitious and highly influential, saying that campaign decisions often went through her. Former Yellow Vest figure Jacqueline Mouraud says she felt used as a token representative and describes Knafo as “omnipresent” in the campaign.

The report also notes signs of tension within Reconquête. Knafo launched a public effort to develop the party’s next presidential programme without first consulting a senior party official responsible for policy. Knafo rejects the implication that she is taking power from Zemmour and presents them as a team.

A central part of the investigation concerns Reconquête’s ideology and Knafo’s European Parliament alliance with the Europe of Sovereign Nations group, which includes Germany’s AfD. The programme reviews controversial statements by AfD figures about Nazi history, as well as scrutiny of several group members by a European parliamentary authority. Knafo says she finds any suggestion that she is comfortable with Nazism insulting, citing her Jewish identity. She argues that she should not be held responsible for every statement by people in her parliamentary group and says she does not accept “demonization by association.”

The report also recalls Zemmour’s criminal convictions and controversial remarks. Asked whether she agrees with them, Knafo says she and Zemmour have disagreements but declines to discuss their private conversations. She defends some of his claims about immigration.

The report investigates the use of public money by Knafo and her political circle. It examines a €20,000 grant awarded by the town of Blanc-Mesnil in 2021 to an association Knafo chaired, which proposed a book-recommendation algorithm. The town’s current administration says it could find no adequate record of the project’s activity or a full accounting.

The programme reports that Knafo later arranged to return about €17,900. The former mayor says the remainder paid a developer, but a developer interviewed by the programme says he was not paid. Knafo says she personally received none of the money and that the grant funded legitimate expenses. She denies that the repayment was connected to her later political campaign.

The programme also scrutinizes hotel bills claimed during the 2024 European election campaign, including a costly four-night stay in Saint-Tropez. The campaign accounts commission approved the expenses, but security specialists consulted by the report disputed Knafo’s explanation that security requirements determined the hotel choices. Knafo maintains that the trips involved political meetings, says the expenses complied with the rules, and argues more broadly that public funds should not reimburse campaign costs.

The report further challenges Knafo’s descriptions of French Development Agency spending: its former director says most of the agency’s projects are loans rather than grants. Knafo was also summoned by the Court of Auditors’ ethics committee after criticizing the institution’s independence on social media.

The programme explores Knafo’s media strategy during her Paris municipal campaign. She presented a relatively upbeat image and emphasized cutting spending, including references to a “chainsaw” approach associated with Argentina’s Javier Milei, while denying that she was referring to him. She received 10.4% of the vote, and the report’s media analysis found she received unusually high coverage relative to her electoral support. A political communications expert argues that her style helped draw attention away from Reconquête’s harder-line focus on immigration.

The report also covers the forceful removal of anti-racism activists from a campaign meeting. Lawyers consulted by the journalists said the use of plastic restraints appeared disproportionate and potentially unlawful. A security official defended the actions, and the investigation was ongoing.

In her studio interview, Knafo disputes the report’s framing, challenges its sources, and stresses that public money was properly accounted for. She defends Zemmour’s hotel expenses and her own handling of the Blanc-Mesnil grant, and argues for changing the system of public reimbursement for political campaigns. She also reiterates her support for a future alliance of right-wing parties, while saying that the National Rally has repeatedly rejected her overtures.

Presenters and Contributors

• Presenter: Tristan Waleckx
• Report reporters/directors: Sébastien Lafargue, Baptiste Laigle, Alexandru Cekilariu
• Principal interviewee: Sarah Knafo
• Other named contributors and interviewees: Jacqueline Mouraud, Gaspard Gantzer, Julien Mugerin, Alexandre Devecchio, Jacques de Guillebon, Geoffroy Fournier, Thierry Meignen, Demba Traoré, Vijay Monany, Rémy Rioux, and Samuel Lafont
• Editorial and production staff named at the end: Séverine Lebrun, Julien Daguet, Julien Paul Simon, and Jérôme Plissier