Weiner just latest NY pol caught in sex scandal
NEW YORK - Add Rep. Anthony Weiner to the growing list of New York politicians caught in headline-grabbing sex scandals. The disclosure by the married seven-term Democrat that he sent raunchy texts and photos to several women online placed him in a rogue's gallery of Empire State elected officials better known for their sexual shenanigans than legislative accomplishments.
Weiner's confession this week came just four months after an upstate New York lawmaker, Republican Rep. Chris Lee, stepped down after shirtless photos he sent to a woman he met on Craigslist were published online. A Democrat, Kathy Hochul, won a special election to replace Lee, and Democrats hailed the victory as a turning point for the party following its drubbing in the 2010 midterm elections.
But since the photo of a man's bulging underpants was sent on Weiner's Twitter account nearly two weeks ago, the "Weinergate" controversy has dominated the news and distracted attention from Democrats' efforts to slam Republicans for proposing deep cuts to welfare. Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi formally requested an ethics probe to determine whether Weiner broke House rules, while other Democrats have stayed largely silent on his plight.
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"Anthony Weiner was never known as a mature guy, and his abrasiveness has not made him any friends among his congressional colleagues," Democratic consultant George Arzt said. "I don't think he ever grew up. His behavior has always been a little out of sync from his duties."
Even if Weiner does survive the controversy in the short term, his dream of running for New York mayor has likely been dashed for good. A new Marist poll showed 56 percent don't want him to be mayor, even though half don't believe he should resign his seat in Congress.
And Weiner will almost certainly be sidelined as one of the party's leading champions of liberal causes.
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Scandal-weary Democrats in New York and Washington could seek other ways to marginalize Weiner, like eliminating his Brooklyn and Queens congressional district when lawmakers redraw the state's political boundaries with the results of the 2010 census. New York is to lose two seats. They could also recruit another Democrat to mount a primary challenge to Weiner if the district remains intact.
Leaders of the House Ethics Committee on Tuesday issued their first statement about Weiner but did not say an investigation was under way.
New York in recent years has emerged as something of a hub for reckless politicians who risk their power, families and reputations for sex.
Democratic Rep. Eric Massa resigned his upstate seat last year amid allegations he had sexually harassed male staffers. Massa denied the allegations but acknowledged having "tickle fights" with men in his office.
Following a drunken driving arrest in 2008, Republican Rep. Vito Fossella, a married father of three, was forced to acknowledge he had fathered a daughter with a mistress. Fossella, who represented the New York City borough of Staten Island, declined to run for re-election that year.
One of New York's most infamous political sex scandals involved former Democratic Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who resigned in 2008 after 14 months in office after being identified as "Client 9" in a prostitution bust. Before becoming governor in 2006, Spitzer, the state's former attorney general, had earned a national reputation in part for prosecuting prostitution rings.
Now a host of a political talk show on CNN, Spitzer on Monday described as "cringe-worthy" the extraordinary news conference at which Weiner acknowledged sending a photo of his barely clothed crotch to a young woman on Twitter.
"Believe me, I know. I've been there," Spitzer said, adding that the decision on whether to resign is "deeply personal."