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Rep. Anthony Weiner resigns in sexting scandal's 3rd week
WASHINGTON — Disgraced New York Rep. Anthony Weiner resigned his House seat Thursday, after a nearly three-week Internet sex scandal that has left his political career in tatters and Democrats on the defensive ahead of the 2012 elections.
Weiner, 46, said he had hoped to continue representing his district, but the "distraction that I have created has made this impossible."
"I am here today to again to apologize for the personal mistakes I have made and the embarassment I have caused," Weiner said during an announcement at a packed Brooklyn, N.Y., senior citizens' center. His statement was interrupted several times by hecklers. "I make this apology to my neighbors and my constituents, but I make it particularly to my wife."
Weiner's wife, Huma Abedin was not with him at the announcement. Abedin, a senior aide to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, is pregnant with the couple's first child.
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House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, who called for Weiner's resignation nearly a week ago, said the seven-term Democrat "made the right judgment."
The departure marks an dramatic fall for Weiner, who ran for New York City mayor in 2005 and talked about seeking the office again in 2013. The controversy, splashed across the front pages of New York City's tabloids for weeks, has been a distraction for Democrats who have sought to promote a jobs agenda and gain momentum ahead of the 2012 elections.
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"Democrats have been off message since it happened," said Stuart Rothenberg, editor of the non-partisan Rothenberg Political Report. But the Weiner scandal is unlikely to shape an election that's nearly 18 months away, he said.
"The election is going to be about the president and the Republican nominee and unemployment and the war in Afghanistan and lots of other topics," he said. "It's not going to be about Anthony Weiner."
Across Capitol Hill, Democrats expressed relief and regret.
"It's difficult to watch the self destruction of a friend and to witness the breaking of hearts over what can only be categorized as reprehensible behavior and bad judgment," said Connecticut Rep. John Larson, who chairs the House Democratic Caucus.
Weiner's troubles began last month after a lewd photograph of him that he intended only for a Seattle college student was posted briefly on his public Twitter account. At first, Weiner issued angry denials, saying he was the victim of a computer hacker. But in a tearful news conference June 6, he recanted and confessed to sexually charged Internet exchanges with at least six women during the past three years.
Still, he refused to resign. Party leaders, however, ramped up pressure as more damaging material surfaced, including an X-rated photo. Democrats had prepared to hold a meeting Thursday afternoon to consider taking away Weiner's committee assignments.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, is expected to call a special election to fill the seat, the second such House election this year in the Empire State. (Former representative Chris Lee, a Republican, created the first vacancy in February when he quit abruptly after he sent a photo of himself, shirtless, to a woman.)
Weiner's district, which spans Brooklyn and Queens neighborhoods, is traditionally Democrat, but was in jeopardy as New York lawmakers worked to redraw congressional districts. The state is slated to lose two seats as a result of the 2010 Census.
"There was already talk of redistricting Anthony Weiner out of Congress before he resigned," said Christopher Malone, an associate professor of political science at Pace University, who is active in New York Democratic politics.
A House ethics investigation launched last week into Weiner's actions likely will close because the panel does not have authority to police the actions of former lawmakers.
But what of Weiner's political future? He has spent his entire adult live in politics, serving as congressional aide before his election in 1991 to New York City Council at age 27. In Congress, he was best known as a brash defender of liberal Democratic policies during combative floor speeches and appearances on cable television.
Weiner did not offer many clues on his future Thursday, saying only, "I'll be looking for other ways to contribute my talents."
Fellow New Yorker, Democratic Rep. Eliot Engel, said, "I don't know if he has a future in politics," but suggested Weiner might still find a second act as a public figure.
"Eliot Spitzer is now on TV," Engel said of former New York governor who resigned 2008 after admitting to sex with prostitutes. Spitzer now hosts a CNN talk show.
"I would not take anything away from Anthony," Engel said. "Anthony's got a way of moving up and doing things. … I think he'll land on his feet."
Post je objavljen 17.06.2011. u 03:31 sati.