Arthur Delaborde 09:21, May 24, 2022

Cornered from all sides, Damien Abad says he is innocent and assures that he will not resign.

The new Minister of Solidarity again defended himself, Monday evening, from any sexual assault.

During a campaign trip to his constituency of Ain, he strongly contested the rape charges against him.

The government would have done well without this affair.

In person and in front of the microphones and cameras, Damien Abad again challenges being an aggressor.

A defense deemed "lukewarm or even clumsy" by a member of the majority.

Like many macronists, he believes that Damien Abad will have to resign from the Ministry of Solidarity, Autonomy and People with Disabilities, if the slightest preliminary investigation is opened.

“I have never raped a single woman in my life” 

“I have always avoided putting my disability forward. Unfortunately, I was forced to do so today to defend myself and even to reveal my privacy in detail by explaining that the facts attributed to me were materially impossible. I have never raped a single woman in my life," said Damien Abad.

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Abad's appointment is the result of 'negligence'

It must be said that the sequence falls at the worst time for the aspiring deputies, in the middle of the legislative campaign.

Despite everything, the entourage of the new Minister of Solidarity ensures that he is supported by the executive.

In private, however, few members of the government defend him or have words of sympathy for him.

Even at the Elysée, some recognize that the appointment of Damien Abad is the result of "negligence".

Barely named, Elisabeth Borne must manage her first crisis.

The tenant of Matignon will find it difficult to escape questions on the subject during all her travels.

It remains to be seen how long she will resist the media pressure.