So… “someone” hacks into Rep. Anthony Weiner’s computer and sends a lewd picture from his twitter account to a young coed. First, he tries the quiet treatment. It doesn’t work. Then, he takes to the airwaves in a series of interviews. That doesn’t work either. Then, the other women come forward. Hmmmm… it turns out that there was no hacking at all — that someone wasn’t pulling a prank. It was all Weiner, all the way.
As you may recall, Weiner had a completely different attitude just a short week ago. When the story first broke that a picture of Weiner in his underwear was posted to Twitter, his initial reaction was one of defiance.
This tactic backfired terribly. There were just too many questions hanging out there. So, Weiner and his staff met with the major news outlets for a series of one on one interviews. This is when things truly turned bizarre. Yes, Weiner was speaking, but what he said didn’t make sense.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fl3tXJjJgH8
Weiner states that he didn’t send the picture, but can’t say with “certitude” that it’s not him. And a statement like that is supposed to make the story go away? Not a chance.
As it turned out, the underwear shot intended for a young woman was not an isolated event. As ABC News reports, in addition to the 21-year-old woman who was the target of the underwear picture, Meagan Broussard, a 26-year-old single mother from Texas, was the recipient of “dozens of photos, emails, Facebook messages and cell phone calls” that “chronicle a sexually-charged electronic relationship with Weiner that rapidly-evolved for more than a month, starting on April 20, 2011.”
++ Click here for slide show of some of the pictures
With more information coming out, Weiner held his Monday press conference. Gone were the stories about pranks and hackings.
Just as interesting was the press conference before the press conference. While waiting for Weiner to take the stage, Andrew Breitbart from BigGovernment.com stepped up to the podium to make a statement and engage the other members of the media. Breitbart first broke the Weiner story and demanded an apology for the attacks that were leveled against him.
Weiner did apologize to Breitbart, but he also said that he will not step down from his congressional seat. As reported by the Associated Press, House Democrat Leader Nancy Pelosi has called for an ethics investigation.
He said he did not feel the scandal affected his work as a lawmaker but would understand if his constituents decided not to re-elect him. “I’m going to work very hard to win back their trust,” he said.
Weiner said he used his home computer and personal Blackberry, not government computers, in his exchanges with the women. But that may not protect him from House rules that say a member “shall conduct himself at all times in a manner that shall reflect creditably on the House.”
On numerous occasions, the House ethics committee has cited that general rule in finding a representative violated standards of conduct.
And there you have it. Weiner will continue on unless 1) more information comes out, or 2) his constituents have enough of him. As of now, I’d put my money on his constituents sending him back to Congress again and again and again.
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