Republican admits sending lewd Twitter photo
Source: Agencies |
June 8, 2011, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A tearful US congressman has admitted sending a lewd photo of his underwear-clad crotch to a young woman over Twitter and then lying repeatedly to protect himself.
In a flash of defiance, he refused to resign even as Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi called for a House ethics investigation into whether he broke the rules.
The extraordinary confession at a packed Manhattan news conference on Monday was a remarkable turn of events for US Republican Anthony Weiner, who conceded to a "hugely regrettable" lapse in judgment.
House Democratic leaders tersely expressed disappointment and embarrassment, reflecting an erosion of support for the 46-year-old New York congressman and casting doubts on whether Weiner could hold onto his House seat let alone turn a once-promising political career into a 2013 bid for New York City mayor.
Republicans are also using the incident to pressure Democrats ahead of next year's elections. President Barack Obama is seeking a second term and congressional Democrats are hoping to bolster their slim majority in the Senate and try to reverse some of their losses in the House of Representatives after Republicans won a majority last year.
The nationally televised news conference was unusually blunt, and clips of it were played constantly on news shows. The conference went on nearly half an hour and capped a week of double-entendre, tabloid-headlines and late-night jokesters' snide comments.
Weiner insisted he had done nothing illegal and said he would fully cooperate with a House inquiry. "People who draw conclusions about me are free to do so," Weiner said.
"I've worked for the people of my district for 13 years and in politics for 20 years and I hope they see fit to see this in the light that it is."
The married Weiner said he had inappropriate contact with six women through social networking sites. But he said he had never met or had a physical relationship with any of the women. He also said he had never had sex outside of his marriage.
In a flash of defiance, he refused to resign even as Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi called for a House ethics investigation into whether he broke the rules.
The extraordinary confession at a packed Manhattan news conference on Monday was a remarkable turn of events for US Republican Anthony Weiner, who conceded to a "hugely regrettable" lapse in judgment.
House Democratic leaders tersely expressed disappointment and embarrassment, reflecting an erosion of support for the 46-year-old New York congressman and casting doubts on whether Weiner could hold onto his House seat let alone turn a once-promising political career into a 2013 bid for New York City mayor.
Republicans are also using the incident to pressure Democrats ahead of next year's elections. President Barack Obama is seeking a second term and congressional Democrats are hoping to bolster their slim majority in the Senate and try to reverse some of their losses in the House of Representatives after Republicans won a majority last year.
The nationally televised news conference was unusually blunt, and clips of it were played constantly on news shows. The conference went on nearly half an hour and capped a week of double-entendre, tabloid-headlines and late-night jokesters' snide comments.
Weiner insisted he had done nothing illegal and said he would fully cooperate with a House inquiry. "People who draw conclusions about me are free to do so," Weiner said.
"I've worked for the people of my district for 13 years and in politics for 20 years and I hope they see fit to see this in the light that it is."
The married Weiner said he had inappropriate contact with six women through social networking sites. But he said he had never met or had a physical relationship with any of the women. He also said he had never had sex outside of his marriage.
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