Speak to the French, before having to address the judges. While François Fillon is summoned to court on February 24 to respond in particular to the misappropriation of public funds, the former presidential candidate of 2017, has also decided to set his own meeting. Upstream, and with the general public, that one. He will be the guest on January 30 of the political program of France 2 ("You have the floor").
"It will be an explanation with the French, turned to the trial that will take place," says the chairman of the LR group in the Senate, Bruno Retailleau, who is still close to Fillon and describes him as "combative". We understand between the lines that it was out of the question for Fillon to reappear in the media, after such a long diet, only in the context of his confrontation with justice. He must be tried, with his wife Penelope, in the case of fictitious jobs from which she would have benefited as a parliamentary assistant.
"It is not a political return"
"He wants to tell his truth," said one of his relatives. Take the lead on the judicial agenda, infuse its line of defense into public opinion. “He is concerned with knowing what mark he will leave in history. To say that he did not only pay his wife or accept costumes in his life. It's very human, ”continues the same close. Would he seek to put on, for a time, his clothes of former Prime Minister ... and to relaunch himself in the political arena? Unlikely.
"No, he is categorical, it is not a political return," insists Bruno Retailleau. Already in December, during a conference given in the Senate in support of the Christians of the East - cause which is dear to him - the former candidate for the Elysée had assured to have indeed "left the political scene", and specified that 'he did not wish "to ruminate on the past, but to try to be more useful otherwise", according to remarks reported by Le Figaro.
The fact remains that this media reappearance of the last presidential candidate for LR is causing talk in the right-wing party, which is still recovering. "In its place I would have done the same, but a month and a half from the municipal elections, that is bad for us ...", confides a young deputy LR. “It takes us back to a period we want to put behind us. We are going to back up and wait for it to pass, ”blows another, fearing that unearthing the“ Fillon affairs ”that contributed to the plumbing of his presidential campaign, will not cast their shadow over the municipal elections to come. Everyone has their battle. Fillon in front of the judges; and LR in front of his constituents.
