French President Emmanuel Macron delivered a scathing rebuke to his cabinet during a high-level defense meeting Wednesday after the careless leak of a sensitive report detailing the Muslim Brotherhood’s influence in France, according to a senior government official.

The report, originally scheduled for official publication that day, was pulled at the last minute by the Élysée after its contents began circulating in conservative media. French daily Le Parisien first reported Macron’s outburst, which POLITICO has confirmed through sources present at the meeting. The president’s fury, while directed broadly, was interpreted as a warning to Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau.

Retailleau, a recent and highly visible addition to Macron’s minority government, has come under intense scrutiny amid widespread belief that his team was behind the leak. His political capital has soared in recent months, culminating in his landslide election on Sunday to lead the center-right Les Républicains, once France’s dominant conservative party.

Just days before the report was scheduled for release, Retailleau appeared in multiple media interviews, denouncing the Muslim Brotherhood for what he described as an effort “to tip French society into Sharia law.” The public framing of the report before its official release undermined Macron’s attempt to coordinate a unified government message and heightened tensions over policymaking authority inside the cabinet.

Report details Brotherhood’s reach across France, Europe

An early draft of the report reviewed by POLITICO concluded that the Muslim Brotherhood had “gone to great lengths to push its fundamentalist agenda” throughout France and Europe.

The document, a culmination of months of internal security and intelligence assessments, was considered politically sensitive in a climate of rising far-right agitation and increasing pressure on Macron’s government to act on what France perceives to be Islamist extremism.

While Macron has positioned himself as the centrist arbiter of France’s deeply polarized society, his government's response to Islamist networks is regularly challenged both from the left and the right. This latest episode appears to have triggered an emotional reaction from the president, described by one official as a “mood swing” during the defense meeting.

Macron-al-Sharaa meeting sparks controversy in France

Earlier this month, French President Emmanuel Macron met with Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, sparking criticism from far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who accused Macron of hosting talks with "a jihadist" in a "provocative and irresponsible" meeting.

Similarly, at the time, the head of the right-wing Republicans in parliament, Laurent Wauquiez, denounced the meeting as "a serious error."

"We don't welcome leaders who are former terrorists and members of organisations that want to attack France," he said.

But Macron strongly defended the invitation, saying that al-Sharaa "has put an end to a regime that we condemned and fought against, and he is ready to make commitments."

2027 election speculation clouds Macron’s cabinet unity

As attention in French political circles shifts toward the 2027 presidential race, observers note that Macron’s grip on his cabinet is weakening. “I’m not sure that he has understood … that it’s the government that governs,” said one official, implying that Macron is losing control of his ministers and is being increasingly sidelined.

Marine Le Pen, long viewed as the primary far-right challenger, has seen her prospects thrown into uncertainty following her conviction for embezzlement. Though she maintains her innocence, her eligibility for 2027 now depends on a pending appeals court ruling. National Rally party president Jordan Bardella has said he is prepared to run in her place but lacks her national stature.

Retailleau’s political rise sparks internal power struggle

Retailleau, by contrast, is emerging as a formidable contender. His leadership of Les Républicains and his hawkish stance on immigration and "Islamist extremism" have made him a magnet for conservative voters disillusioned with Macron.

According to several insiders, speculation is mounting over when he will exit the government to prepare a formal presidential run.

That eventual departure could deal a severe blow to the already fragile administration of Prime Minister François Bayrou. With no parliamentary majority and ongoing cabinet infighting, Bayrou’s centrist coalition depends on figures like Retailleau to project strength. His departure would open yet another political fault line in an increasingly fractured executive.