France's Presidential Front-Runner Has Been Accused of Giving His Wife a Fake Job on the Public Payr

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Time


Samuel Petrequin / AP
8:43 PM Central


(PARIS) — French presidential hopeful Francois Fillon's campaign hit its first major hurdle Wednesday, when financial prosecutors opened a preliminary investigation following claims that his wife was paid about 500,000 euros ($537,000) with parliamentary funds while holding a fake job.

France's financial prosecutor launched its probe into suspected embezzlement and misappropriation of public funds just hours after Le Canard Enchaine newspaper reported that Penelope Fillon earned the money as a parliamentary aide to her husband during his tenure as a lawmaker without actually working.

Fillon , the conservative candidate in France's spring election, blasted the report, saying he hopes to talk to the financial prosecutor's office as quickly as possible to "re-establish the truth."

The probe "will allow me to silence this campaign of calumny and end these baseless accusations," he said.

Read more: http://time.com/4649733/francois-fillon-wife-job/

[tenorly]

1. More good news for Mademoiselle Le Pen, malheureusement.

Fillon, as you may know, will most likely face Le Pen in a May runoff - and is thus, his many flaws notwithstanding, the last best hope against a fascist presidency in France.

C'est la vie.

[fountainofyouth]

2. Isn't it amazing?

We're facing historic threats to the liberal order and people can't fucking behave long enough to maintain credibility so we can fight back.

[tenorly]

3. Not that the Front National is any cleaner.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11566324/Jean-Marie-Le-Pen-hid-cash-and-gold-in-Bahamas.html

It's just that, as you've noticed, hate-driven voters simply don't care about ethics the way most other voters do (Trump is a perfect example of that). The trick is keeping enough undecided voters from falling in - something made very difficult indeed by missteps like these.

Quelle dommage.

[suffragette]

5. Any chance for Benoit Hamon? And what do you make of Macron?

[tenorly]

6. C'est tout possible.

French electoral politics have a way of pulling last-minute surprises, so we'll see.

Hamon would excite the base, but will probably not make it to the runoff (which is too bad). Macron strikes me as an opportunist, a spoiler candidate put up to it by the economic establishment to prevent the Socialists from making it to the runoff.

Ah, bon.

[suffragette]

8. Thanks. Trying to get more of a handle on the unfamiliar names.

Looks like there have already been some surprises, especially Hamon doing better than expected.

[tenorly]

12. Certainly, suffragette.

Dark-horse candidates are always interesting. Hamon, in particular, has a "secret weapon" of sorts: while undeniably French, he has a slight Middle-Eastern air - as some French people (particularly in Provençe) do on account of contact with Phoenicians in ancient times.

This is a subtle - but material - advantage in a country with a sizable Muslim minority. He can appeal to them without losing the native French vote, as he is thoroughly French himself.

His far-left platform, though, might dissuade too many middle-class voters, thus guaranteeing that the Socialists have no chance to make it to the runoff. Their chances are slim as they are.

But the key idea in French electoral politics is la surprise! We'll see, I guess.

[Doreen]

4. Isn't that what Trump is doing with his family also?

[tenorly]

7. Mais, bien sur!

It's just that the French have a tradition of holding their rulers accountable, and with a vengeance.

Just ask Louis XVI.

[Yo_Mama]

14. Well, no, because no one's getting paid. This was a PAID "job".

Seems a pretty straightforward case of corruption if the allegations are true.

I mean think about it - Hillary Clinton led the task force on the original US health care proposal during President Clinton's term in office. But it wasn't a violation, because she wasn't paid.

[Nancy Waterman]

9. So will he be exonerated the day after the election

Is this Russian smelling fake news too? I don't trust any of these last minute scandals.

[Generator]

10. Snowden tweeted about this

His day job- Putin shilling. Too bad they are getting obvious. Shout out to Vlad and his lovers!

[hells]

11. Won't be surprised if kremlin's internet trolls are already all over french medias

[moondust]

13. Fillon is also a Pooty Pal.

Wants to make nice like Trump. But Le Pen is getting money from Russia and is more rabidly anti-EU so probably favored by Pooty.