As more photographs emerged on the internet Monday of Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY), the embattled New York Democrat tried to save his political career by admitting he had lied repeatedly about reports that he sent sexually explicit material over the internet to women who were not his wife.
In a somewhat surreal news conference in New York, Weiner admitted to having internet relationships with a half dozen women, some after he was married a year ago.
Multiple times, Weiner was on the verge of tears, as he said repeatedly that "I came here to accept full responsibility for what I've done."
But his explanations and Weiner's refusal to resign from Congress earned him a public rebuke from House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, who immediately asked the House Ethics Committee to investigate Weiner's behavior.
"I am deeply disappointed and saddened about this situation; for Anthony's wife, Huma, his family, his staff and his constituents," Pelosi said in a written statement that conspicuously did not include any expression of sadness for the Congressman.
"I am calling for an Ethics Committee investigation to determine whether any official resources were used or any other violation of House rules occurred," Pelosi said tersely.
It was not immediately clear if Pelosi had asked Weiner to resign or not, but her move seemed likely to increase pressure on the New York Democrat to reconsider his vow to stay on in the Congress.
It was the second time in four months that reporters in the Press Gallery had to look at a photograph of a shirtless Congressman from New York; the last one, Republican Chris Lee, resigned in a matter of hours back in early February.
Weiner was trying to avoid that fate.
Some like Lee have left Congress quickly; others like Sen. David Vitter (R-LA), who admitted to soliciting prostitutes a few years ago, did not.
"I don't see that anything I did violates the rules of the House," Weiner said. "I don't see that anything I did violates my oath of office to uphold the Constitution."
So, the bottom line is that there was no hacker. Weiner did send a picture of his underwear-covered family jewels to a woman he had never met in person.
And when he was confronted about it last week by my colleagues, he called my friend Ted Barrett of CNN a "jackass."
"I lied because I was ashamed at what I had done, and I didn't want to get caught," said Weiner.
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