Posted on 06/11/2011 12:44:05 PM PDT by Qbert
A defiant Rep. Anthony Weiner will not resign and will instead seek treatment even as a the top leaders of the Democratic Party abandoned him en masse Saturday after it was revealed that he had communicated online with a 17-year-old Delaware girl.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and the party’s top campaign chiefs — Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Steve Israel (D-N.Y.) — all called on Weiner to resign in statements released within minutes of each other.
But Weiner has ignored those calls and announced Saturday afternoon that he’s seeking “professional treatment.”
“Congressman Weiner departed this morning to seek professional treatment to focus on becoming a better husband and healthier person,” Weiner’s office said in a statement provided to POLITICO. “In light of that, he will request a short leave of absence from the House of Representatives so that he can get evaluated and map out a course of treatment to make himself well. Congressman Weiner takes the views of his colleagues very seriously and has determined that he needs this time to get healthy and make the best decision possible for himself, his family and his constituents.”
Weiner, a New York Democrat, admitted on Monday that he had sent sexually charged text messages and photographs to a series of six women over three years. On Friday, FOX News reported that Wilmington-area police had visited a Delaware teenager to discuss his back-and-forth with her.
Weiner and the girl’s family have told news outlets that there was no indecent communication, but the evidence that he carried on a discussion of any kind with a 17-year-old girl was clearly the final straw for Democratic leaders.
Pelosi and Israel only issued their statements after asking Weiner privately to call it quits, and when he refused, they issued their coordinated barrage on Saturday afternoon.
“They both called him this morning and said ‘you should resign,’ and he didn’t and they issued their statements,” a source familiar with the discussions told POLITICO. “The White House was engaged.”
Patrick Gaspard, the former White House political director, was the point man for the DNC, the source said.
“Congressman Weiner has the love of his family, the confidence of his constituents, and the recognition that he needs help,” Pelosi said Saturday. “I urge Congressman Weiner to seek that help without the pressures of being a Member of Congress.”
A day earlier, Pelosi had declined to call for him to resign after inquiries to her office.
Israel and Wasserman Schultz were less generous in their assessment of their colleague.
“Anthony’s inappropriate behavior has become an insurmountable distraction to the House and our work for the American people. With a heavy heart, I call on Anthony to resign,” Israel said.
Calling the scandal a “sordid affair, Wasserman Schultz, who is a surrogate for President Barack Obama in her role as DNC chairman, said “the behavior he has exhibited is indefensible and Representative Weiner’s continued service in Congress is untenable.”
Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), the Budget Committee Chairman and former DCCC chairman, also joined the calls to resign on Saturday. “Anthony Weiner’s repeated violation of the public trust is unacceptable,” Van Hollen said. “He can best advance the issues he fought for by resigning immediately.”
Weiner’s spokeswoman did not immediately reply to a request for comment, but it’s now clear that Weiner has virtually no support in the upper echelons of the Democratic Party.
The Weiner scandal is now going into its third weekend after a picture of a man’s crotch was posted on his Twitter account. After spending a week denying that it was him, Weiner held an extraordinary press conference Monday in New York and revealed that he had not only sent that picture, but had conducted sexually charged online relationships with a half dozen women.
And while nobody can force Weiner to resign — short of a formal expulsion from the House, which is extremely rare — if he does return to the House on Monday after a week-long recess, he’ll basically be persona non grata in the Democratic Caucus.
Weiner has informed congressional leaders he plans to seek treatment, according to Democratic insiders, and that was a factor in their decision to urge him to resign, first privately and later publicly.
A “coordinated effort was kicked off once Weiner decided to seek treatment,” a senior Democratic aide told POLITICO. “Leaders have been talking to him all week. His decision to seek treatment, on top of pressure of Sunday shows and members coming back on Monday, all equaled the ultimate decision for the leaders to go today.”
It was also revealed this week that Weiner’s wife Huma Abedin is pregnant — and she’s currently traveling abroad as an aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
If Weiner does succumb to pressure and resign, it’s clear that the contact with the 17-year-old girl was the end game.
The girl, whose name was withheld by Fox but who told the reporter she’s “doing OK,” left with her mother and the police, the network said, although it was unclear if there was a further conversation somewhere else.
A Weiner spokeswoman emailed a statement in response to the reports that confirmed his contact with the girl, but denied anything was amiss.
“According to Congressman Weiner, his communications with this person were neither explicit nor indecent,” said the statement.
On Saturday morning, the New York Post and the New York Daily News reported that the New Castle cops had not found anything wrong in Weiner’s exchanges with the teen-ager.
He couldn’t do the lawyer school thing - he’s too unteachable!
Then doesn't this also apply to Obama? If what you say is true then Obama and Moochelle must also have a "made for TV" marriage too.
Good to hear Weiner’s standing up for himself.
I'm so glad Weiner is sticking around.
His ongoing saga is relegating the Palin emails to the back of the bus.
Next story will be on the luxury rehab resort he's escaping to.
The timing of this scandal is impeccable....I'll bet the NY Slimes, the LA Slimes and the Washington CommiePost are banging their collective heads on their desks. They thought they had Palin, hah, and that her emails would be THE BIG STORY.
No soap.
Thanks, Tony.
Leni
Wasserman and Weiner are like twins, both are arrogant whiny pushy Jewish socialist crook baby killing degenerate perverted scumbags who despise capitalism and the Founding Fathers, hate Christians and middle America, and ought to be rounded up and shipped to Venezuela along with the rest of the democrats in Congress.
She must be out of her mind if she thinks he will listen to her, shes no better.
“Then doesn’t this also apply to Obama? If what you say is true then Obama and Moochelle must also have a “made for TV” marriage too.”
Yes, along with Bill and Hilary and a number of others. Check out the backgrounds of those in the Bloomsbury Group, Fabian Society, Cambridge Apostles, PreRaphaeles...one can track it back. The socalled elities still believe in the class or caste system (no inbreeding - eugenics for the lower class), with the bluebloods being the crown jewels, so to speak. Many perverts within the groups.
Libs have polling data and it’s not good!
Weiner is unfortunate that his name and his actions will never allow him to escape his past deeds. Every time he is introduced to speak, His audience will be stareing at a six foot tall penis.
Perhaps I missed something, but why isn’t McConnell demanding a criminal and ethics investigation of this pervert?
When I voted last November, I thought the Republicans won the majority of the House Seats. Pelosi can bloviate all she wants, but I want the Speaker of the House to step up to maintain the decorum of that body. His first job should be dealing with the obvious misconduct in public office perpetrated by Weiner.
This is a good illustration of why career Republicans are so afraid of true conservative candidates and the Tea Party in general.
EODGUY
Weiner is showing some balls - uh, maybe that wasn’t the best choice of words.
Maybe he can turn this into a sequel for “Die Hard”.
“Die Hard 4: Coming to a Twitter page near you”...
He has had his 15 minutes of fame, but Weiner thinks he can last longer.
Weiner is showing endurance.
I am today of the opinion that he should NOT resign. Hang in there. You have no place to go. If you resign your life is over. Who will employ you? Stay put.
Well if he does resign I’m sure he will get employment where all the other garbage goes: CNN, PMSNBC or Reality TV. Look at Client #9
When State Senator Jack Ryan of Illinois had his divorce proceedings leaked to the press in 2006, he resigned and dropped out of his campaign. He was only guilty of propositioning his wife, not underage strangers.
It is amazing top democrats are even bothering to call for him to resign. Democrats have done so many far worse things and it never even phased them.
“It is amazing top democrats are even bothering to call for him to resign. Democrats have done so many far worse things and it never even phased them.”
The only thing that matters to them is poll numbers. Weinergate hurts them- many of the other things that happened in the past, didn’t.
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