France's Le Pen vows to 'counterattack' after top ally Bardella hit by anti-Semitism claims

French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen on Tuesday vowed to hit back at allegations of anti-Semitism targeting her de-facto number two Jordan Bardella, which have punctured her buoyant campaign at a time when she is riding high in the polls. Le Pen, who is aiming to win the Élysée at her fourth attempt next year in a far-right breakthrough that would send a shockwave across Europe, lambasted the Mediapart website that published the claims and said Bardella has her "total confidence". Read moreFrench far right's Jordan Bardella denies media report he made anti-Semitic comments Bardella, who has vehemently denied the making the comments dating back to 2013, said the report marked the start of a "total war" to derail Le Pen's campaign and said he was taking legal action against Mediapart. The pair have formed a tandem. © Sameer Al-Doumy, AFP The 31-year-old is the leader of Le Pen's National Rally (RN) party and is tipped to be premier if she wins the presidency. A savvy user of social media, he has helped the RN make inroads among the youth vote. Le Pen reaffirmed she had "total confidence" in her young lieutenant and vowed the RN would "counterattack" after the allegat...