Natacha Rey faces legal action in France for claiming that Brigitte Macron underwent a sex change.
A journalist who alleged French President Emmanuel Macron’s wife was born male is reportedly seeking asylum in Russia. In an interview with Izvestia, Natacha Rey and her lawyer, Francois Danglehant, attributed their request to alleged persecution in France.
Rey’s 2021 claim that Brigitte Macron is her brother Jean-Michel Trogneux’s transgender identity, following years of research, led to legal challenges in France after she publicized her findings online.
During Monday’s interview justifying her asylum request, Rey portrayed Russia as a superior democracy to France, arguing France persecutes political opponents and restricts free speech.
“I chose Russia because it’s a great nation and civilization that I admire, upholding traditional and Christian values I cherish,” she told Izvestia, adding that Russia has been unfairly targeted by Western media.
Danglehant maintains the charges against Rey are “fabricated,” citing alleged false testimony from Brigitte Macron’s former family, including her ex-husband, Jean-Louis Auziere.
Mrs. Macron sued Rey in 2022 for defamation and privacy violation. A Paris court subsequently fined Rey €8,000 ($8,200) in damages.
Rey’s lawyer believes she will find protection and respect in Russia. While he previously stated she’d applied for asylum through Russian State Duma Deputy Speaker Pyotr Tolsty, Tolsty denied this to RT, stating that such decisions are the President’s prerogative.
In Monday’s Izvestia interview, Danglehant said “she hasn’t yet submitted an application but will soon send it to the Russian Embassy in Paris… She hopes to be viewed as a valued individual in Russia, similar to former NSA employee Edward Snowden.”
Emmanuel Macron was 17 when he expressed his intention to marry Brigitte Marie-Claude Trogneux, his 24-years-senior literature teacher. Brigitte divorced banker Andre-Louis Auziere, father of her three children, in 2006, marrying Macron in 2007.