After a decade marked by scandal, former Rep. Anthony Weiner has formally filed to run for New York City Council, signaling a controversial return to politics, the New York Post reported.
Anthony Weiner, the disgraced former congressman whose political career collapsed in a series of sexting scandals, has officially filed to run for New York City Council's 2nd District seat. The 60-year-old's move comes more than a decade after he resigned from public office and subsequent prison time.
Weiner, who registered his campaign committee "Weiner 25" last week, described the filing as exploratory, telling the New York Post, "It is a 'true exploratory committee.'" However, his participation in an upcoming candidate forum hosted by the Downtown Independent Democrats suggests his ambitions may extend further.
"[They] made a precondition of participating in their candidate forum that you had to have an open committee, so here I am," he said.
The council seat, currently held by Carlina Rivera, will be vacant at the end of 2025 due to term limits. Weiner joins a crowded field of candidates, including Sarah Batchu, Harvey D. Epstein, Andrea Gordillo, Jason Murillo, and Allison Ryan.
Weiner's political career famously imploded in 2011 when he resigned from Congress after a sexting scandal. A second scandal in 2013 derailed his bid for New York City mayor, and a subsequent investigation revealed he had sent sexually explicit messages to a 15-year-old girl. That discovery led to a federal conviction on one felony count of transferring obscene material to a minor.
Weiner served 18 months in federal prison, completing his sentence in 2019.
The fallout from the investigation also implicated the 2016 presidential race, as emails found on Weiner's laptop prompted the FBI to reopen its probe into Hillary Clinton's private server just days before the election.
In recent weeks, Weiner has signaled his interest in returning to public life. On his 77 WABC radio show last month, he expressed his desire to serve New Yorkers again. "I love doing this job on the radio, but I want to be of service," he said.
Weiner, who shares a son with his ex-wife, Huma Abedin — a former top aide to Clinton — told the New York Post he is preparing a policy proposal titled "25 Ideas for '25." He teased that the proposals would be innovative, adding, "Clever, huh? The Post will like a lot of them."
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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