Latest news with #politicalcomeback
Daily Mail
30-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Disgraced sex offender Democrat's excuse for sexting underage girl as he attempts a comeback
Disgraced former Congressman Anthony Weiner says his conviction for sexting a minor is 'not a good enough reason' for voters to dismiss him as he mounts a political comeback. Weiner, 60, who is a registered sex offender after his sick sex scandal was exposed by almost a decade ago, faced The View panelists as they grilled him about his run for New York City Council. Panelist Ana Navarro confronted Weiner about his 'many' scandals, which also included sexting women under the pseudonym 'Carlos Danger', which the politician said he was not shying away from. 'With all that said, why should New Yorkers give you a shot at a political comeback?' Behar questioned. Weiner responded: 'Let me just say this - all of that happened. I accept responsibility for it. 'You won't hear me do what some other people like Donald Trump or Andrew Cuomo or Eric Adams have done,' he said, adding that he does not brand himself as being 'persecuted or a victim.' The politician said he realizes now that he was suffering from 'an addiction' at the time of his scandal, but said he deserved forgiveness for accepting the public humiliation instead of playing victim. 'I didn't ask for a trial, I pled guilty, I served my time in prison, did probation and tried to do good work for the formerly incarcerated,' he said. 'I guess what I'm saying to people is, maybe don't vote for me in spite of what they know about me, but maybe consider that journey, that idea that we all go through things,' Weiner continued. Weiner noted that although he is Jewish, he likes a notion commonly found in Catholicism that people 'suffer for a reason so you can be of service on the other end.' 'So, I'm doing the opposite of what a lot of politicians do in my position... I'm saying, yes, I did these things, I got into recovery, I tried to make my life better, and now I can be of service,' he continued. 'And I'm a damn good politician.' When Weiner's underage sex scandal was exposed by the Daily Mail in 2016, the 15-year-old he was sexting with said he asked her to dress up in 'school-girl' outfits for him on a video messaging application and pressed her to engage in 'rape fantasies.' But he said on The View that this should be 'not a good enough reason' for New Yorkers to dismiss him, 'just because I have bad things in my past.' 'All I can ever be is who I am right now,' he continued. Panelist Alyssa Farah Griffin likened Weiner to politicians such as Donald Trump who have had brushes with the law, saying that figures like them are why Americans have such a low level of trust in their representatives. Weiner responded: 'I think what politicians sometimes don't realize, is that voters don't expect you to be some kind of paradigm of greatness. 'They want you to be an honest, authentic, full person.' His appeal to voters appeared to land poorly with panelist Joy Behar, who also lumped Weiner in with other male politicians who have had sex scandals such as former New York Governors Eliot Spitzer and Andrew Cuomo. 'I'm listening to you now and I'm thinking, what do these people have in common? Cuomo, Clinton, Trump, Wiener, Spitzer, they're all men, they are all men,' Behar said. 'We were talking about this before, about trying to appeal to these men out there. Why is it that two qualified women could not beat all of you guys? These women can never beat you. 'They're more qualified than almost anybody on that list, including you, I'm sorry.' Weiner agreed that women are often held to a higher standard than men, but countered Behar's point to say that he suffered consequences, including being booted from office and serving time behind bars. 'I mean, I hate to correct you. Bill Clinton was impeached, Eliot Spitzer was thrown out of office, I was thrown at of office, Andrew Cuomo was thrown out of office, so we do pay a price,' he said. 'The question is, if you are gonna say to those people, how do you judge their record in totality? I do believe that women get judged much more harshly than men do.'
Free Malaysia Today
29-05-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
No plans to return to politics at least until year end, says KJ
News portal SuaraTV reported on Tuesday that Khairy Jamaluddin was in the process of returning to Umno, more than two years after his expulsion. PETALING JAYA : Former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin has hinted at a political comeback after the end of this year. Berita Harian quoted the former Umno Youth chief as saying that his current focus is on several ongoing business ventures and projects. 'I can only say that I have many unfinished projects that require my attention. 'I'm also quite content with what I'm doing right now. So, at least until the end of this year, I haven't thought about returning to politics,' Khairy told reporters after taking part in a forum at the Universiti Malaya campus here today. He was also asked whether he is currently considering any offers to join political parties. 'My focus at the moment is on several businesses. Perhaps after the end of the year, we can talk,' he said, without confirming whether any such offers had been made. On Tuesday, news portal SuaraTV reported that Khairy was in the process of returning to Umno, more than two years after his expulsion. According to the report, efforts to bring Khairy back began after the death of his father-in-law, former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Umno Supreme Council member Puad Zarkashi, however, has dismissed the possibility of Khairy returning to the party, saying Umno does not need 'populists' who bring no real benefit. Puad made it clear he would not support Khairy's return, describing the former Rembau MP as someone who only looked out for himself. In January 2023, the Umno Supreme Council sacked Khairy and Selangor Umno chief Noh Omar. It also suspended key leaders such as former vice-president Hishammuddin Hussein for breaching party discipline during the general election in November 2022.
BBC News
26-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Sebastian Kurz: Austria's ex-chancellor wins appeal against perjury conviction
Austria's former chancellor Sebastian Kurz has won his appeal against a conviction for giving false testimony to a parliamentary committee. The court's ruling overturns last year's judgement and eight-month suspended prison sentence for the former political star. Once hailed a wunderkind of Europe's conservatives, the 38-year-old resigned as chancellor in 2021 and quit politics amid a series of allegations. Monday's acquittal removes a key obstacle to a potential political comeback, but he still faces investigation on separate corruption allegations. Last year, Kurz was found guilty of perjury for giving false testimony to a parliamentary committee. The case against him centred over allegations that he had been involved in the selection of executives on a newly-created state holding company when he was chancellor, as opposed to being merely kept told a parliamentary probe in 2020 that he was "involved in the sense of informed". But the first trial judge deemed that declaration false and ruled that Kurz had played a more active in his appeal Kurz argued that the judge who had convicted him was biased. The appeal bench of three judges ruled in his favour on Monday, reading out in their judgement that Kurz "was acquitted because the objective offence of giving false evidence was not fulfilled".Speaking to reporters outside court on Monday, Kurz said the years of accusations against him had "now all collapsed"."There have been numerous court hearings - a huge amount of confrontation with these accusations. You have all witnessed how much this has been celebrated and that it has now all collapsed," he has also denied wrongdoing on the corruption allegations for which he is being are yet to decide whether to charge him over the allegations that he used public money to pay for favourable media coverage and to fund polls which exaggerated support for him. Kurz has not publicly voiced an intention to return to politics quitting in 2021, he has been involved in several business ventures including the high-profile Dream cybsersecurity company, which he co-founded in 2023 with partners including the former boss of Israel's NSO firm that developed the controversial Pegasus spyware had previously headed the conservative Austrian's People's Party, leading the party to victories in 2017 and 2019 on a hardline immigration People's Party is still in charge in Austria after it managed to form a three-party coalition with the Social Democrats and a liberal party after elections last that vote was won by the far-right Freedom Party, who seized on voter frustrations on the economy and migration. Despite topping parliamentary elections for the first time, they failed to form government.
CNN
26-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Austrian court quashes ex-Chancellor Kurz's perjury conviction
An Austrian appeals court has overturned conservative former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz's recent perjury conviction and the resulting eight-month suspended prison sentence, news agency APA reported on Monday. The ruling removes Kurz's only criminal conviction, taking away a serious obstacle to a future political comeback for the 38-year-old, although prosecutors have yet to decide whether to charge him over potential corruption-related offenses in a separate investigation that forced him from office in 2021. The court was not immediately available for comment. Kurz denies all wrongdoing. 'I have been confronted with accusations for years. There have been numerous court hearings - a huge amount of confrontation with these accusations. You have all witnessed how much this has been celebrated and that it has now all collapsed,' he said outside the court. The case centered on whether Kurz was merely kept informed of deliberations on the appointment of executives for newly created state holding company OBAG when he was chancellor, or was in fact making the decisions. The appointments were formally his finance minister's responsibility. Kurz testified to a parliamentary commission of inquiry in 2020 that he was 'involved in the sense of informed.' The judge who heard the case at first instance ruled that was not true and Kurz played an active role. 'What has come out is what I have always said, namely that I did not tell any untruths in the committee of inquiry,' Kurz said. Kurz has left the Austrian People's Party (OVP) and quit politics but some individuals within the OVP hope he will return if there is a change of party leadership, even though polling suggests the majority of Austrians do not want him to stage a comeback. Kurz led his party to election victories in 2017 and 2019 by adopting a hard line on immigration similar to that of the far-right Freedom Party (FPO), which won the last parliamentary election in September. He now works as a consultant and tech entrepreneur and says he is happy in his new career. Having come second in the last election, the OVP leads the current three-party centrist coalition government headed by OVP Chancellor Christian Stocker.
CNN
26-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Austrian court quashes ex-Chancellor Kurz's perjury conviction
An Austrian appeals court has overturned conservative former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz's recent perjury conviction and the resulting eight-month suspended prison sentence, news agency APA reported on Monday. The ruling removes Kurz's only criminal conviction, taking away a serious obstacle to a future political comeback for the 38-year-old, although prosecutors have yet to decide whether to charge him over potential corruption-related offenses in a separate investigation that forced him from office in 2021. The court was not immediately available for comment. Kurz denies all wrongdoing. 'I have been confronted with accusations for years. There have been numerous court hearings - a huge amount of confrontation with these accusations. You have all witnessed how much this has been celebrated and that it has now all collapsed,' he said outside the court. The case centered on whether Kurz was merely kept informed of deliberations on the appointment of executives for newly created state holding company OBAG when he was chancellor, or was in fact making the decisions. The appointments were formally his finance minister's responsibility. Kurz testified to a parliamentary commission of inquiry in 2020 that he was 'involved in the sense of informed.' The judge who heard the case at first instance ruled that was not true and Kurz played an active role. 'What has come out is what I have always said, namely that I did not tell any untruths in the committee of inquiry,' Kurz said. Kurz has left the Austrian People's Party (OVP) and quit politics but some individuals within the OVP hope he will return if there is a change of party leadership, even though polling suggests the majority of Austrians do not want him to stage a comeback. Kurz led his party to election victories in 2017 and 2019 by adopting a hard line on immigration similar to that of the far-right Freedom Party (FPO), which won the last parliamentary election in September. He now works as a consultant and tech entrepreneur and says he is happy in his new career. Having come second in the last election, the OVP leads the current three-party centrist coalition government headed by OVP Chancellor Christian Stocker.
