"Did you harass your colleagues?" Questioned by Patrick Cohen about the revelations in "Le Nouvel Obs", Dati retaliated and threatened legal action.

By The New Obs with AFP

Published on June 19, 2025 at 9:12 a.m. , updated on June 19, 2025 at 10:56 a.m.

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Questioned Wednesday evening on the set of "C à vous" about fees of 299,000 euros from GDF Suez when she was a Member of the European Parliament, the Minister of Culture violently responded by attacking the journalist Patrick Cohen.

The best defense is offense. Interviewed Wednesday evening about her run-ins with the law and the accusations made against her, notably by an investigation by "Nouvel Obs" and the program "Complément d'enquête ," Culture Minister Rachida Dati responded by threatening her interviewer, Patrick Cohen, with launching an investigation against him for accusations of harassment reported in the press.

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Invited onto the set of "C à vous," Rachida Dati, who has been indicted in the Carlos Ghosn affair for passive corruption, was questioned about recent accusations that she received €299,000 in fees from GDF Suez when she was a Member of the European Parliament, without declaring the source to the European Parliament.

The minister again denied these facts. And counter-attacked, referring to a Mediapart article published in February, about tensions dating back several years at France-Inter, and the management of Patrick Cohen when he hosted the morning show, between 2010 and 2017.

"Mr. Cohen, have you harassed your colleagues? Is that true, Mr. Cohen?" the minister asked. "You could also be subject to this offense [of harassment] . All I would have to do is write an Article 40 report, following this Mediapart article. I can take the matter to court […] I can do it," she threatened. Article 40 obliges any constituted authority or civil servant to report to the prosecutor any offenses of which they become aware in the exercise of their functions.

The minister also blamed the presenter, Anne-Elisabeth Lemoine: "In the same way, it was said that on 'C à vous' the atmosphere is terrible, that you cry all day, that everyone is blamed." "No, that's not true," replied Anne-Elisabeth Lemoine.

"What you're doing isn't very flattering, Ms. Dati. It's dishonorable," said Patrick Cohen. When the article was published, Mediapart made no mention of the opening of an internal investigation or a judicial inquiry.

Earlier in the day, the Minister of Culture had described these investigations as "totally defamatory" on CNews and Europe 1, assuring that the documents mentioned in this program had already "been examined by the courts" as part of the investigations into the Carlos Ghosn affair, which led to her being charged with passive corruption. "All of this is declared, it is very clear," also assured the minister, who has always denied having been paid by GDF Suez.

"France Télévisions offers its full support to the "C à vous" teams and to all of its journalists, who will continue to carry out their work peacefully and freely," the public broadcaster told AFP. "Personal accusations against journalists are unacceptable," it added.

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