Rep. Weiner Stays Silent In Wake Of New, Racy Text Messages
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The heat is on.
There were renewed calls Tuesday for the resignation of troubled Congressman Anthony Weiner from both political parties.
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In Sheepshead Bay a very blunt sign was posted on the window of the congressman's community office. The sign read: "resign, pervert Weiner."
This on the day new racy messages from Weiner surfaced online, reports CBS 2's Marcia Kramer.
Believe it or not, there is someone in New York City with something nice to say about Congressman Weiner: his dad.
"I'm very proud of him, everything he's done," Morton Weiner said.
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Everything he's done includes sexting six women, both before and after his marriage to Huma Abedin, and initially lying about it. That has House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi demanding an ethics probe and has Weiner's political friends running for the hills.
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"I don't see anything that I did that violated any rules of the House. I don't see anything that I did that certainly violated my oath of office to uphold the Constitution," Weiner said on Monday.
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"I know Congressman Weiner. I wish there was some way I could defend him, but I can't," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.
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The ethics probe revelation could be tough on Weiner, especially since the women he texted are expected to be questioned. One, 40-year-old Las Vegas blackjack dealer Lisa Weiss, has reportedly claimed that she and the congressman had phone sex on a congressional phone line.
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Weiner and Weiss also reportedly sent sexually explicit text messages. The following exchanges were released by Radar Online.
On Sept. 22, 2010:
Weiss: i think u r so totally hot and u r lucky i don't have your number right now…
Weiner: how did i miss this chance to rock your world by phone? give me another chance! stalk me baby, very hot.
On Feb. 2, 2011:
Weiss: where are you you hot congressman? let's have some fb sex?
Weiner: hey sexy baby. i miss you.
On March 16, 2011:
Weiss: I love that you are always (expletive) when I talk to you
Weiner: I'm horny a lot. sorry
Also expected to be questioned is Meaghan Broussard, a 26-year-old single mother from Texas, who also said she got steamy photos from Weiner.
"He was eager to hear about if I wanted him or thought he was attractive," Broussard told ABC News.
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A number of congressional leaders, including House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, have outright called for Weiner to resign, but New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand took a more charitable view.
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"Whether Anthony remains in office is a matter for himself, his constituents and the ethics committee," Gillibrand said.
Meanwhile, tapes have surfaced of an appearance the congressman made on WFAN's the "Boomer and Carton" show in March 2008 to talk about the downfall of former governor Eliot Spitzer, who resigned because he had sexual relations with hookers. From the sounds on the video, Weiner sounds an awful lot like someone who clearly thinks his own actions will remain secret:
"I learned that people up in Albany are having a lot of sex, down in Washington we are not doing nearly so well," Weiner said.
"Between President Clinton and Spitzer the bar for impropriety is so high I can never reach it. My skeletons are relatively minor compared to his."
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Kramer attempted to ask the congressman about the ethics probe on Tuesday, but her phone call was not returned. But that didn't stop the calls for his resignation, or the criticism. However, a poll released Tuesday found that about half of New York City voters think Weiner should hang onto his congressional seat. But most say they want him to stay out of the race to succeed Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2013.
The Marist Poll found 51 percent said Weiner should remain in Congress, while 30 percent said he should step down, and 18 percent said they weren't sure. But 56 percent said Weiner should not run for mayor, while 25 percent said he should. Nineteen percent said they were unsure.
Weiner reportedly spent the day in his office calling supporters to ask them to continue to show support.
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