Abbasi also defended “Proco” Joe Moreno, a former alderperson who is running for City Council in the First Ward, against a petition challenge by two residents, and was the attorney for a petition challenge against one of Moreno’s opponents, Sam Royko. The CEBC ultimately kept both candidates on the ballot.
Update 1/19/23: In a statement to the Reader, Moreno said, “I had no knowledge of this behavior. I do not condone this behavior and I do not stand behind any racist/ misogynistic comments of any sort. As a proud Latino, this is something that is quite upsetting and I will no longer be utilizing his services.”
Until this week, Abbasi was listed as the treasurer for mayoral candidate Kam Buckner’s campaign committee. He is still listed as treasurer for eight other campaign committees. On January 15, Buckner disavowed Abbasi in a tweet, saying that he had a “purely administrative title,” that Buckner was “incredibly disturbed” by Abbasi’s racist and misogynist posts, and that Abbasi was “never part of our regular working team and hasn’t spent time in our campaign office.”
In a statement to the Reader, Buckner’s campaign reiterated the disavowal. “He was the campaign’s election lawyer during the petition process. He was never on the finance committee. As the campaign’s lawyer, he was registered as campaign treasurer on the Illinois Board of Elections.”
Abbasi also said he hadn’t worked directly for Buckner’s campaign and that he forgot he was listed as its treasurer.
In a statement to the Reader, Saul Arellano, a candidate for police district council in the 25th District, said, “Homophobia, transphobia, racism, and misogyny are no laughing matter. The 25th Police District is one of the most diverse districts in Chicago, with Black, white, Latino, and immigrant residents from across the globe. . . . This isn’t any laughing matter. We need to unify and protect our communities from this denigrating and destructive commentary. Inclusivity is at the forefront of our movement.”
Asked about the potential impact his tweets might have on his campaign, Abbasi seemed ambivalent. “Some people might find it distasteful,” he said. “If someone doesn’t want to vote for me because I’m a Twitter troll, that’s their right.”