A large-scale disinformation campaign backed by Russian bots is using doctored French media reports to falsely link Emmanuel Macron to the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein.
French authorities have warned that a Russian foreign manipulation operation is seeking to implicate French President Emmanuel Macron in the Epstein files, after the latest tranche was released by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) on 30 January.
According to France's agency for tackling foreign information manipulation, Viginum, a false story shared on a website imitating the fringe media outlet France Soir was the catalyst for the campaign.
The false article claimed that France's President Emmanuel Macron had attended multiple parties at Epstein's Paris residence on the prestigious Avenue Foch, in Paris’ 16th arrondissement, and that he "liked young men".
Viginum also warned that the campaign bears the hallmarks of Russia's Storm-1516 operation, which disseminates fabricated stories and deepfakes to further Kremlin interests, according to government sources cited by French media.
As well as impersonating a media outlet, the article was signed with the byline of a journalist working for French newspaper Le Parisien — a known strategy employed for Russian propaganda purposes.
The claims in the article were then picked up across social media, namely in a video styled as a news report, which alleged that Macron had organised a party with "young men" only a week after being inaugurated for his first presidential term in May 2017.
@LoetitiaH, one of the accounts that shared the doctored video, is a disseminator of pro-Russian narratives.
On X, French authorities responded to the video on its French Response account — highlighting that the documents in the video were, in fact, created with artificial intelligence.
In a tongue-in-cheek post, French Response wrote: "It turns out that Loetitia [the X account which shared the videos] holds global secrets. It turns out that AI puts them into images. It turns out that the France Soir article does not exist. It turns out that Russian networks are amplifying it directly. It turns out that chance has nothing to do with it either. Fortunately, Loetitia is watching over us."
An alleged party at Epstein's Paris residence
The claims in the article and social media video are centred around doctored email correspondences between Epstein and model agent Jean-Luc Brunel dated from 20 May 2017.
However, there is no trace of these exchanges in the DOJ's official database. While the document's reference codes exist, they draw up unrelated entries. Meanwhile, the voice in the video appears to be AI-generated.
In the doctored exchanges, Brunel tells Epstein about Macron's plans to organise a party at Epstein's Avenue Foch residence.
"I will bring some boys… He likes young boys", Brunel allegedly says.
"Too young is good, we know what he likes", writes Epstein.
The video also makes a point of highlighting the fact that Macron's name is mentioned approximately 200 times in the Epstein files. However, there is no evidence that the pair ever directly communicated.
Many of these mentions are newspaper clippings and discussions of French politics, including several mentions of Macron by Steve Bannon, who the files show spoke extensively with Epstein about his efforts to bolster Europe's far-right parties in 2018 and 2019.
On the other hand, Brunel did maintain close ties with Epstein. The model agent was imprisoned in December 2020 for his role in recruiting young women for the disgraced financier, before he committed suicide in 2022.
A number of altered covers of French newspapers, including Liberation and Le Parisien, also spread online. The headline for Liberation says "What was Emmanuel Macron doing 18 times on Epstein's island while he was France's economy minister?", whilst the headline for Le Parisien states: "Emmanuel Macron: 18 visits to Epstein's island".
There is no evidence in the files that Macron ever planned a visit to Epstein's private island in the Caribbean, and neither newspaper has published these stories.
The Center for Countering Disinformation, a body affiliated with the Ukrainian National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, said these posts were amplified by the "Matryoshka" bot network, considered one of the largest propaganda networks coordinated by the Kremlin.
These accounts aim to spread large volumes of fake content across Twitter, X and TikTok, with the aim of making disinformation go viral.
Epstein's interest in Macron
While Macron's name does appear mentioned in the latest batch of the so-called Epstein files, there's no evidence at all that he was involved in or knew about any wrongdoing.
Many of the mentions do show that Epstein had a keen interest in the French president.
For example, a document dated 2 October 2018 indicates Epstein spent time tapping his contacts to try to reach Macron.
In the document, Epstein asks Caroline Lang, the daughter of the former French culture and education minister Jack Lang, for direct contact with someone in Macron's circle. Caroline replies that she will ask her father and get back to him.
Another 2018 document shows US billionaire Tom Pritzker referencing a meeting with Macron and another intermediary named Jacques, and other exchanges seemingly showing Pritzker and Epstein aiming to contact Macron through Lang about the awarding of the Pritzker Architecture Prize.
Jack and Caroline Lang feature multiple times in the files, along with references to planned meetings, as well as an exchange in which Epstein seemingly boasts to Steve Bannon about meeting Lang in Paris. "The ministers of the elite," Epstein writes, attaching a photo of Jack Lang.
One post shared by @LoetitiaH attaches a real photograph from the files in which Caroline Lang tells Epstein that "Macron is going to announce a reshuffle of the government soon".
The account claims this is an example of Lang providing Epstein with "confidential information about government affairs." Newspaper clippings from the date of this email, 9 October 2018, show that Macron was planning to announce a cabinet reshuffle, which he eventually postponed.
This information was already available to the public and followed the resignation of the then-interior minister.
Jack Lang, currently president of Paris' Arab World Institute, has been summoned to the French foreign ministry over his ties to Epstein following the release of the latest tranche of files.
He has said he was unaware of the extent of Epstein's crimes and knew him as someone "passionate about art, culture and cinema".
Other mentions of Macron include more individuals referencing meetings with him, such as French banker Ariane de Rothschild and former Norwegian Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland. There is no evidence that Epstein attended these meetings.
One document, in 2016, shows Emirati businessman Sutan Bin Sulayem sending a message to Epstein saying he had lunch at the Élysée and a nice conversation with Macron "regarding our business in France". There are no further mentions in the files of Macron and bin Sulayem together.
Another file from 2018 shows a redacted sender suggesting they had spoken to Macron about global governance and socio-economics.
Epstein is a participant in this exchange, with the sender and another participant redacted.
However, there is no sign that Epstein arranged to meet Macron directly.