The media outlet obtained two internal documents from the National Front (FN) party: the first one, dated June 15, 2016, was an itinerary from a party meeting where a loan form Russia's Strategy Bank was discussed, and the second contained an agreement to transfer the money to Le Pen to cover presidential campaign costs.
Dishonest Move
The reaction from the National Front party came on Friday, when the party's treasurer, Wallerand de Saint-Just, called the publication a "dishonest" and "stupid" move.
"The documents stolen by Mediapart do not prove that there was the third loan. Actually, there was no second, no third loan," Saint-Just said in a statement published on party's website.
He pointed out that the methods of French "media bandits" included stealing and attempting to interpret information incorrectly.
Saint-Just also stressed that complaints regarding the breach of confidentiality would be filed soon.
Russian Money
In 2014, reports claiming that the National Front received a $9.7 million loan from the First Czech Russian Bank emerged in the French media. In June 2015, Le Pen said FN had taken a loan from a Russian bank and refuted claims made by a European Parliament member that her party allegedly received funds from the Russian government.
Philippot's statement came during Le Pen's visit to Russia at the invitation of senior Russian lawmaker Leonid Slutsky as part of cooperation between State Duma lawmakers and French political circles. During the visit, the presidential hopeful also met with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the issue of campaign financing was not discussed during Le Pen's meeting with Putin.
Chances to Win
According to recent polls, the FN leader and independent candidate Emmanuel Macron have equal chances of winning the first round of election, while Le Pen is projected to lose against both Macron and The Republicans' candidate Francois Fillon in the run-off.
The first round of presidential election in France is scheduled for April 23, while the run-off is slated for May 7.