According to recent reports, José Beaurain, a deputy elected from the Aisne (4th constituency) and affiliated with the National Rally (RN), remained in his position despite internal warnings about alleged misuse of public funds. Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Rally, was reportedly informed as early as January 2024 about these allegations. Beaurain is currently under investigation by the Assembly’s ethics officer, initiated in September 2024 by President Yaël Braun-Pivet following revelations by the satirical newspaper Le Canard Enchaîné. The allegations include claims that Beaurain asked his parliamentary assistants to transfer half of their bonuses in cash, used his parliamentary allowance for personal purchases, or paid his brother through a third party. Beaurain has consistently denied the accusations of fraud and misuse of public funds. Former assistants of Beaurain, Thierry and Julie, testified that they faced difficulties in managing his parliamentary work and that Beaurain asked them for a cash refund of half the bonuses he gave them. They reported these concerns to Renaud Labaye, the general secretary of the National Rally deputies' group and a close aide to Marine Le Pen. According to documents and WhatsApp exchanges reviewed by Radio France’s investigation team, Labaye met with the two assistants in his office on two occasions: January 29 and February 9, 2024. They reportedly presented Labaye with evidence of the alleged misconduct. According to sources, Beaurain was later summoned twice by Marine Le Pen in her office at the Palais Bourbon between January and April 2024, for what appears to have been two sessions of reorientation or guidance. Despite these concerns, Beaurain was re-nominated by the party as the RN candidate in the Aisne and won the election in the first round with 55.04% of the votes. Thierry reportedly warned Labaye that the situation was "a time bomb." In mid-September 2024, Julie, one of the former assistants, learned that the Assembly's ethics officer, Jean-Éric Gicquel, dismissed her report on allegations of harassment, fraud, and misuse of public funds against Beaurain. Both assistants have since left the National Rally, with one joining the movement of Marion Maréchal Le Pen, known as Identité Libertés. More recently, Kylian Couteau, a former parliamentary assistant of Beaurain, claims to have raised concerns about numerous ethical violations, or even crimes, committed by his former employer. He says he warned Renaud Labaye during a meeting at the Palais Bourbon on December 18, 2025, about Beaurain’s alleged circumvention of rules regarding the employment of family members. According to Couteau, Beaurain hired a friend of his brother in August 2025 to carry out a leafleting mission in Chauny, allowing his brother to receive part of the salary and to purchase furniture. Couteau claims Beaurain even admitted to using a front person for this arrangement. In the municipal elections in March 2026, Beaurain was re-nominated as the RN candidate in Chauny, winning the first round but losing in the second to a centrist candidate. Shortly after his meeting with Labaye, Couteau, now a real estate agent, was contacted by Beaurain, who had already been given the party's approval to run for mayor. According to WhatsApp exchanges, Beaurain suggested potential real estate deals, including the sale of public buildings, if Couteau won the election. Couteau claims the offer included a "commission" and a request for payment for a restaurant meal, which he interprets as a bribe. Couteau now plans to report to the labor court for unpaid work hours and says Labaye continued to communicate with him this summer. Meanwhile, Le Canard Enchaîné is working to confirm details of the allegations with Beaurain’s former collaborators. Beaurain denies all accusations and has filed lawsuits against those who relayed the claims, including his former assistant. The ongoing investigation by the Assembly’s ethics officer, Rémi Schenberg, is expected to conclude "within a reasonable time." The National Assembly has not ruled out legal action under Article 40 of the penal procedure code. Marine Le Pen has not yet responded to inquiries about the matter.