This is a weird one. In New York, former city Councilman Allan Jennings is suing a weekly Queens newspaper for defamation, claiming it printed lies that cost him votes during last year's Council race: Ex-Councilman Allan Jennings sues Queens Chronicle, saying alleged 'Asian-women' mistruth cost him votes.According to Jennings' legal filings, the Queens Chronicle falsely reported that he had once put an advertisement in a Chinese-language newspaper "declaring his love for all Asian women." Jennings says he never did any such thing:
The reference dates back to a 2003 article in Newsday that disclosed Jennings — then a member of the Council — had placed advertisements in the World Journal and the Sing Tao Daily.Whether or not they're running for public office, it's not cool to run false stories about people... but based on some of the other stuff that's out there -- even excluding the professed love of Asian women -- I haven't heard a whole lot of great things about Alan Jennings. Here's the allegedly libelous article in question: Alan Jennings' new run for his old seat.
In those ads, according to the report in Newsday, Jennings thanked the Chinese community for accepting him and expressed his love for his girlfriend, a Chinese folkdancer, while criticizing his estranged Taiwanese wife.
It was a bizarre moment in Jennings' controversial career. During his time as a member of the Council, he was censured by his colleagues for improperly firing an employee and accused by female staffers of harassment.
Jennings has countered that those charges were politically motivated.