OAN Staff James Meyers
2:58 PM – Tuesday, December 10, 2024
Disgraced ex-lawmaker Anthony Weiner has popped back into politics as he filed to run for New York City Council on Tuesday.
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Weiner is known for being involved in a sexting scandal, prompting an embarrassing exit from public office more than a decade ago after sexting a 15-year-old girl which resulted in prison time.
Now the 60-year-old is focused on running to win the Council District 2 seat in New York City, which services multiple neighborhoods in Lower Manhattan.
Weiner has since lined up a speaking spot at a forum on Thursday with Downtown Independent Democrats.
“[They] made a precondition of participating in their candidate forum that you had to have an open committee, so here I am,” he said.
Weiner registered his political committee, Weiner 25, with the Campaign Finance Board Friday, and later filed for the 2nd District spot.
Meanwhile, the seat is currently held by Carlina Rivera (D-N.Y.), who is term-limited and will be gone at the end of 2025. Other candidates have also thrown their name in the hat, including Sarah Batchu, Harvey D. Epstein, Andrea Gordillo, Jason Murillo and Allison Ryan.
At the time of the sexting conviction, Weiner was married to Huma Abedin, an aide to Hillary Clinton in her presidential run against Donald Trump.
Weiner pleaded guilty in 2017 to one felony count of transferring obscene material to a minor and served 18 months in prison and was released in 2019.
Over the past few weeks, Weiner has been publicly teasing his return, making the pitch to New Yorkers that he wants to be involved with them again.
“I love doing this job on the radio, but I want to be of service,” he said on his weekly 77 WABC radio show last month.
Weiner declined to comment on how he’d wrestle with his checkered past during a potential campaign.
“Running for office is a privilege, and those who seek to represent this district must have a clear understanding of the challenges our families face,” Council member Rivera said in a statement. “The democratic process is a cornerstone of our society, and every voice matters in moving us forward. I encourage my neighbors to engage fully in the primary process and make an informed choice that will help shape a brighter future.”
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