When In Rome
Well-Known Member
French government minister accuses Francois Fillon of 'deep contempt' over autism remarks
France’s Minister of State for Disabled People has accused Francois Fillon of being in “deep contempt” of people living with autism, after the conservative candidate repeatedly said during a television interview that he was “not autistic”. Defending his decision not to withdraw from the country's presidential race, Mr Fillon, who is resisting mounting pressures to end his candidacy after weeks of being mired in scandal, told the France 2 presenter: “The answer is no. I have no reasons to do that [pull out].
The position of the right-wing candidate has been weakened after he announced he was being summoned for official questioning over allegations he paid his wife and children substantial sums for parliamentary work they never carried out.
The couple deny any wrongdoing.
“If I had been investigated two months ago, I would not have been a candidate in the presidential election,” he said, before adding that calls for his resignation were “a democratic hold-up”.
Questions have been raised over the 63-year-old’s integrity after he repeatedly said during the conservative primary that he would be an “irreproachable” candidate and that he would stand down if ever he was officially investigated. He made the comments because both his rivals Alain Juppe and Nicolas Sarkozy were investigated while holding a public office.
Immediately following Mr Fillon’s interview, Mr Juppe, who lost to Mr Fillon in the November party primary, announced that he will hold a press conference on Monday morning.
France’s Minister of State for Disabled People has accused Francois Fillon of being in “deep contempt” of people living with autism, after the conservative candidate repeatedly said during a television interview that he was “not autistic”. Defending his decision not to withdraw from the country's presidential race, Mr Fillon, who is resisting mounting pressures to end his candidacy after weeks of being mired in scandal, told the France 2 presenter: “The answer is no. I have no reasons to do that [pull out].
The position of the right-wing candidate has been weakened after he announced he was being summoned for official questioning over allegations he paid his wife and children substantial sums for parliamentary work they never carried out.
The couple deny any wrongdoing.
“If I had been investigated two months ago, I would not have been a candidate in the presidential election,” he said, before adding that calls for his resignation were “a democratic hold-up”.
Questions have been raised over the 63-year-old’s integrity after he repeatedly said during the conservative primary that he would be an “irreproachable” candidate and that he would stand down if ever he was officially investigated. He made the comments because both his rivals Alain Juppe and Nicolas Sarkozy were investigated while holding a public office.
Immediately following Mr Fillon’s interview, Mr Juppe, who lost to Mr Fillon in the November party primary, announced that he will hold a press conference on Monday morning.
