what to remember from the interview of Emmanuel Macron's chief of staff

It is the turn of the chief of staff of the President of the Republic. After the Interior Minister Gérard Collomb, the Paris Police Commissioner Michel Delpuech and the Director of Public Order at the Paris Police Headquarters, Alain Gibelin, Patrick Strzoda was interviewed on the Benalla case before the commission of Inquiry of the Assembly, Tuesday, July 24.

M. Strzoda denounced in his introductory remarks the behavior "faulty" and "unacceptable" of the deputy chief of cabinet of the Elysee identity by Le Monde striking demonstrators on 1 ^and May in Paris. Having convened Mr. Benalla on May 2, he "informed that his participation in a law enforcement operation was not part of his mission of observation" and that he would do subject of a sanction, which was informed by the President of the Republic via the Secretary General of the Elysee.

See:
        
    
          The key characters to know to understand the Benalla affair
          

"I gave the go-ahead"

On the question of whether Mr. Benalla was duly authorized to be on the scene of the demonstration, the prefect indicated that he had given him his "fire green " million. Benalla told him that he had been invited to come to the demonstration by the Chief of Staff of the Public Order and Traffic Directorate, Laurent Simonin. Mr. Simonin has since been indicted in this case.

"I did not object to him participating as an observer on this day of 1 ^and -May, and I reminded him that it was out of the question to participate actively in field operations " he said, stating later that it was " the first time " that Mr. Benalla asked him for his agreement to go to a demonstration.

M. Strzoda specified that the role of Mr. Benalla before being sanctioned was to coordinate "services that contribute to the official travel of the President of the Republic" and that it had never been questioned that he took the "direction of a service led to consolidate the security services of the Elysee" as some media have argued.

Read his version of the facts:
        
    
          May 1, Benalla wanted to help the police, according to his lawyers
          

"It is my responsibility and I assume it"

Sanction, "I took it alone, in my soul and conscience. I never spoke about this subject with the Head of State, who was 10,000 km away " said Mr. Strzoda during his hearing. And to add:

"I was recruited on this function to take care of the internal management of the presidency. It's really my responsibility and I assume it.

According to the version he gave, Patrick Strzoda however submitted his proposal for a penalty of fifteen days to the Secretary General of the Elysee, Alexis Kohler, who has spoken with Emmanuel Macron himself, then in Australia.

"As soon as the president was informed, I implemented this measure" he told the deputies.

Alexandre Benalla, former chargé de mission in the president's office, was suspended for fifteen days, with suspension of treatment, followed by a demotion for having participated in the operations of the police on the sidelines of the demonstrations of May 1st.

A la question "Was the sanction adapted? he answers: "I understand that it can be considered as inappropriate. As far as I'm concerned, I make my decision.

"Not enough evidence to seize justice"

M. Strzoda also said that he did not seize justice about the acts committed by Alexander Benalla on May 1 ^and because he had "not enough elements" for the

"I considered that at my level I did not have enough elements to justify a recourse to Article 40" he declared, underlining that no complaint had been filed and the "employment authorities" of Mr. Benalla had never "never mentioned or suggested" .

Moreover, " this scene was reported on the IGPN platform (general inspectorate of the national police), it was analyzed by specialists and no information of this analysis was sent to me in the sense of an article 40 " he continued.

"So on May 2, with the concern to take immediate sanction, and on the basis of the information that I had, I took this sanction of suspension and demotion, with a warning letter worth notification of dismissal in case of new misconduct (…) . I fully understand that it can be considered that (this sanction) was not adapted, in any case in my case I accept my decision " he concluded.

" Mr. Benalla was not at the Elysee from May 3 to May 22 "

M. Strzoda also denied that Mr. Benalla was able to attend meetings after his layoff:

"I am formal, Mr. Benalla was not at the Elysee from May 3 to May 22.

During his hearing before the commission of inquiry of the National Assembly, Monday, the director of public order at the Paris police headquarters, Alain Gibelin, had acknowledged that Mr. Benalla was present at meetings with his services between 4 and 19 May, during which the suspension of the deputy chief of staff mentioned by the Elysee was in force. "The information of this sanction was never transmitted to us" he had declared. He has since returned to these statements.

Read the portrait:
        
    
          Patrick Strzoda, an experienced senior official embarked on a state affair