Weiner is loser: Sex scandal costs US lawmaker job
Combo photo shows US Rep. Anthony Weiner, right, at a committee hearing of the US Congress and former porn actress Ginger Lee at a news conference at the Friars Club, in New York, on Wednesday. (AP)
By
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: Jun 16, 2011 17:41
Updated: Jun 17, 2011 01:39
WASHINGTON: A US congressman will resign after a two-week scandal spawned by sexually explicit messages and lewd photos of himself that he sent online to several women, Democratic party officials said Thursday.
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said that Rep. Anthony Weiner would make an announcement later Thursday but she would not say what he planned to announce.Weiner’s office said he would talk to reporters at 2 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT)in New York.
The furor over the suggestive photos and other revelations about Weiner has been a distraction for Democrats seeking momentum as they gear up for the November 2012 elections.
Weiner, 46, who took a leave of absence and has been at a treatment facility at an undisclosed location since last weekend, and has not been seen in public since telling reporters last Saturday he intended to return to work.
One official said Weiner telephoned Pelosi and Rep. Steve Israel, the head of the Democratic party campaign committee, on Wednesday evening to tell them of his plans to quit after 14 years in office. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity, citing the private nature of the conversations.
Weiner’s decision to give up his House seat marks the end of a scandal that resulted from the brash New Yorker’s use of social media such as Twitter and Facebook.
He at first denied having sent any inappropriate photos, then recanted in a remarkable news conference 10 days ago at which he admitted having exchanged inappropriate messages with several women.
His confession triggered a tabloid-style frenzy in print and online that only grew more pronounced a few days later when an X-rated photo of the 46-year-old lawmaker surfaced on a website.
After initially calling for a House ethics committee investigation, Pelosi dramatically ramped up the pressure on Saturday when she joined other party leaders in calling on Weiner to step down.
Within hours, Weiner disclosed his plans to enter treatment, and Pelosi’s aides made it known that did not negate her demand for a resignation.
Several officials have said in recent days that Weiner was reluctant to make any decision about his career without speaking with his wife, Huma Abedin, a top aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who had been overseas since shortly after the scandal broke. The trip ended Tuesday night.
Abedin is pregnant with the couple’s first child.
The Democrat’s decision to leave Congress marks at least an ignominious pause if not an end in a once-promising career. Weiner ran for New York mayor in 2005, and had talked of seeking the office again.
His outspoken, in-your-face style cheered liberal supporters and angered conservatives. He even irritated some party leaders in 2009 when he led the charge for a government-run health care system long after the White House had made it clear that President Barack Obama was opposed.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is expected to call a special election to fill the seat once the congressman submits his resignation.
Weiner’s problems began on May 28 when BigGovernment.com, a website run by conservative commentator Andrew Breitbart, posted a lewd photograph of an underwear-clad crotch and said it had been sent from Weiner’s Twitter account to a Seattle woman.
Initially, Weiner lied, saying his account had been hacked. But he pointedly did not report the incident to law enforcement — a step that could have led the way to charges of wrongdoing far more serious than mere sexting.
Additionally, his public denials were less than solid — particularly when he told an interviewer that he could not “say with certitude” that he wasn’t the man in the underwear photo.
Weiner’s spokesman said the photo was just “a distraction” and that the congressman “doesn’t know the person named by the hacker.” The congressman denied sending the photo and said he had retained an attorney and hired a private security company to figure out how someone could pull off such a prank.
But Weiner dropped that story line on June 6, offering a lengthy public confession at a news conference, admitting to online activity involving at least six women.
It was a remarkable turn of events for Weiner, who conceded to a “hugely regrettable” lapse in judgment.
Weiner’s racy online escapades were a gift to the New York tabloids. The New York Post labeled the affair “The Battle of the Bulge” and called on Weiner to “Fall on Your Sword.”
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