Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) spent another day under the media microscope on Wednesday over who sent a photograph on his Twitter account to a much younger woman, as the Democratic Congressman again sidestepped some basic questions about his story.
In the process, the news media on Capitol Hill began to see the proverbial vision of blood in the water, as Weiner's answers resulted in even more scrutiny.
"Rep. Anthony Weiner says he 'can't say with certitude' whether Twitter pic was of his crotch," bellowed the headline on the New York Post by the afternoon, as Weiner felt the pressure of both the national news media in Washington and the hyper-aggressive news media back in the Big Apple.
To a lot of people up in the Press Gallery, the fact that someone "can't say with certitude" if a picture is of their own family jewels (tucked safely in some gray underwear) then it isn't out of line to assume that yes, that picture just might be a photo of Anthony's Weiner.
In a round of interviews with major TV networks and local New York TV stations, Weiner denied sending the picture via Twitter to a 21-year old woman who lives in Washington State.
Weiner wouldn't comment on what kind of communication he has had with the woman on Twitter, who had put out a statement a few days ago denying any wrongdoing.
"I was the victim of a prank," Weiner said in several of his interviews, again raising the specter of someone hacking into his account.
But so far, Weiner has not asked the Capitol Police or the House Sergeant-At-Arms to investigate, which would be the logical next step for any member of Congress who had some type of online trouble.
The incident triggered a veritable cornucopia of jokes and double entendre humor in the halls of the Capitol and off the House floor, where reporters were trying their best to find the normally talkative Democrat from New York City.
Weiner's verbal gymnastics were a reminder of how ex-Rep. Gary Condit (D-CA) mishandled the disappearance of his former intern, resulting in the Democrat becoming the focus of a murder investigation, when in fact, he had nothing to do with the death of Chandra Levy.
We'll see if this story keeps picking up steam, as Speaker John Boehner might get a question about it at his regular Thursday briefing.
One thing is for sure, as with most political scandals, the cover-up is often worse than the crime.
As for interest outside of the Capitol, it's mixed. Some listeners have said there is more to this story, others say I should get back to regular legislative business in the halls of Congress.
"The next time polls indicate little respect for journalism, remember the days spent asking "Is that your crotch?"" said one of my Twitter followers.
Unfortunately, it seems like a question that still needs an answer.
