France's Macron on McKinsey probe: my 2017 campaign accounts were checked and cleared

FILE PHOTO: French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech as he hosts a reception for the mayors of France, at the Elysee Palace, in Paris, France, November 23, 2022. Michel Euler/Pool via REUTERS

PARIS (Reuters) -French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday said his 2017 campaign finances were checked and cleared by judges in his first public comments after financial prosecutors said they investigated his election campaign as part of a wider probe into consultancy firm McKinsey and its links to the president.

"There must be transparency," Macron told journalists in response to questions about the investigation.