France's Macron faces fresh pressure over failure to sanction bodyguard

French President Emmanuel Macron, French Agriculture Minister Stephane Travert and Elysee senior security officer Alexandre Benalla visit the 55th International Agriculture Fair (Salon de l'Agriculture) at the Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris, France, February 24, 2018. Ludovic Marin/Pool via Reuters

PARIS (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron was under fire on Monday in the biggest political crisis of his tenure after the interior minister and a police chief said the presidency told them in May it would deal with a bodyguard filmed hitting protesters.

Critics say Macron's office failed to punish the head of his security detail sufficiently or refer him to judicial authorities because he has become lofty and out of touch with ordinary people since taking office 14 months ago.