Jean-Frédéric Poisson | Alain Jocard/AFP via Getty Images French candidate under fire for Clinton ‘Zionist lobby’ comment Conservative presidential contender said he regretted the remarks.

PARIS — Jean-Frédéric Poisson, a French Christian Democrat running for president, faced calls to end his campaign Monday after saying that U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was "subjected to Zionist lobbies."

Earlier this month the little-known Poisson drew attention during a live TV debate between seven candidates vying for the Conservative presidential nomination, mostly because it was the first time many viewers had seen him.

But Poisson's comments on Clinton raised questions about his ability to continue running, amid hand-wringing on the far Right over whether to support or disavow what he said.

"The closeness of Clinton to the super-financiers of Wall Street and her submission to Zionist lobbies are very dangerous for Europe and for France," Poisson told regional daily Nice Matin.

After the CRIF, a French Jewish organization, requested an "exemplary punishment" against Poisson, Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, another candidate in the Conservative primary, appealed formally to its organizers to examine if the comments breached ethical guidelines.

"There are in our country anti-Semitic acts that go all the way to murder, and I do not understand that one can say such things," Bruno Le Maire, another candidate in the Conservative primary, told France2 TV. "I condemn them and it will be up to the voters to judge."

On Friday, Poisson published a statement saying that he "regretted" that his statements had been construed as hateful, without explicitly apologizing for them. He followed up Monday on France Info, saying he was "sorry" to have caused fear and worry for members of the Jewish community in France.

The governing body for the centrist and Conservative primary gave Poisson until Tuesday to apologize for his remarks. It has yet to say publicly whether his statement Monday was sufficient to allow him to keep running.

More like a Le Pen

Florian Philippot, vice president of the far-right National Front, said when asked about Poisson's remarks that he "share[d] nothing" with the Christian Democratic candidate.

"There is an epidemic of conspiracy theories in French political life today," Philippot said on France Info. "I share nothing with Mr. Poisson, so this is a matter for the primary, it's their problem."

"There is an epidemic of conspiracy theories in French political life today" — Florian Philippot

However, Poisson has repeatedly voiced sympathies for the National Front, telling the right-leaning magazine Valeurs Actuelles this month that mainstream Conservatives should stop shunning the far-right party.

During an interview with right-leaning web channel TV Libertés, Poisson said that he had more in common with Marion Maréchal-Le Pen, the niece of National Front president Marine Le Pen, than he did with Kosciusko-Morizet.

Poisson, who unlike other primary candidates did not have to gather expressions of support from MPs in order to participate in the race, is also an avid participant in the anti-gay marriage "Mariage Pour Tous" movement, where the younger Le Pen is also a fixture.

Marion Maréchal-Le Pen's entourage did not immediately respond to a request for comment.