Antisemitic messages attributed to John Bardella authenticated, French outlet says

A French investigative journalism website said Thursday it had been able to authenticate antisemitic messages from 2013 attributed to far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen's de facto deputy. The allegations against Jordan Bardella come just seven months out from the election where voters will choose a replacement for President Emmanuel Macron, with Le Pen leading opinion polls. Bardella, 31, has strongly denied writing the messages and on Thursday said he would file a legal case againstthe Mediapart outlet for defamation, as well as "forgery and use of forgeries". Mediapart published screenshots of the antisemitic messages Bardella is said to have sent to another person on Facebook's Messenger chat platform in 2013. Read moreStill the same far right? Le Pen's National Rally denies fresh anti-Semitism claims The outlet said biographical details revealed in the conversations prove that it was the real Bardella: a mother born in Italy, mention of an interview he gave to Le Parisien in 2013, and failing the entrance exam for the prestigious Sciences Po university. "Extracting the conversation makes it possible to date it, to certify that this conversation was not altered after...