Anthony Weiner Resigns: The Photo That Pushed Pelosi To Ask Him To Leave Congress

After weathering the storm of controversy for days, Anthony Weiner announced his resignation from Congress on Thursday. What led to his decision?

Initially, despite admitting to the world on June 6 that he had exchanged explicit messages and photos with a number of women over the internet, Weiner nevertheless refused calls to step down.

A key turning point, apparently, was when an x-rated photo of the congressman was leaked by the DJ's Opie and Anthony last Wednesday.

Two days earlier, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi had called for an ethics investigation into the congressman, but according to a senior Democratic aide, the x-rated photo was the final straw.

“Leader Pelosi is a consensus builder and has always allowed her members room to make decisions,” the aide told Politico's Mike Allen. “The turning point for Pelosi came Wednesday when additional photos emerged and the tenor of the Caucus changed. She felt that matter couldn’t wait for an ethics investigation and that he needed leave Congress.”

“Starting Wednesday, Leader Pelosi, Congressman [Steve] Israel and other colleagues and friends spoke with Weiner and made the case that an ethics investigation would be drawn out [a year or more] and expensive; that the situation is a distraction; and that it would be better for Weiner to move forward with his treatment without the pressures of being a member of Congress.”

“Congressman Weiner exercised poor judgment in his actions and poor judgment in his reaction to the revelations,” Pelosi said in a statement after Weiner announced his resignation Thursday. “Today, he made the right judgment in resigning.”

“I pray for him and his family and wish them well.”

Israel said Friday on NBC's "Today" show that Weiner had previously told him what he said at Thursday's news conference announcing his resignation. His sexting scandal had become "an enormous distraction."

Israel says the Democratic Party put no pressure on Weiner's wife, Huma Abedin, to get her husband to resign.

He says he advised Weiner that his resignation was best for him, his family and the country. He says the party did not advise him on how or where to resign.

Israel says he advised Weiner to resign and "left the rest up to him."

WATCH:

For a complete timeline of the scandal, watch this video:

Comments

[bbark7]

05:45 PM on 06/18/2011

Anti-climatic at best. Article is just stating the obvious. It wasn't a matter of if but when he would resign. Didn't take a genius, a rocket scientist or a psychic to figure out this was coming. Glad its over and hopefully we don't have to hear about it anymore.

[Quinxy von Besiex]

05:33 PM on 06/18/2011

Lawrence O'Donnell on MSNBC hit the nail on the head when he pointed out that Democrats getting into sex scandaals don't and shouldn't end careers, unlike their republican counterparts. Democrats rarely ever claimed to be better than they are... They didn't run on family values platforms they can't live up to, they didn't denounce homosexuals because they couldn't accept their own homosexual urges, etc. I don't care if Weiner keeps his job, but his moral failure doesn't offend me nearly as much as Larry Craig's or David Vitter's.

[Sportswoman]

10:31 PM on 06/19/2011

Amen!

[ScorpioTop]

05:28 PM on 06/18/2011

Weiner will rise again. Weiner stands erect against critics.

[tmteefore]

03:34 PM on 06/20/2011

LOL only if he uses viagra.

[Ron666wood]

03:41 PM on 06/18/2011

Much ado about nothing...

[ifsos]

03:15 PM on 06/18/2011

He held himself to a higher standard when he ran for office and accepted the position. He got caught! My position is that he did not do anything that probably 90% of the people who serve in Washington have/are doing. It should not be tolorated by anyone.

[wallyone]

03:13 PM on 06/18/2011

Should never have been asked to resign. Good guy, bad rap.

[clearthinker16]

03:12 PM on 06/18/2011

Where are the unified calls for Vitters resignation?

[robert horwitz]

03:05 PM on 06/18/2011

Though I don't often speak well of politicians there are actually some that I do like and some that I do like a lot from I might add from both sides or no sides of the aisle on certain issues. Though no one called me in to peruse the evidence I do have a great deal of respect for Nancy Pelosi's judgement. To make this even a sadder and sorrier chapter in my curiosity of political and policy voyeurism I really do like Anthony Weiner.

[texfly]

03:04 PM on 06/18/2011

Weiner did the right thing in the end. That demonstrated a restoration of strong values and courage. It is a truth in our society that those who rail longest and loudest about values generally have none. They are morally bankrupt and assert the forgiveness of their God as a reason to sweep their failings under the table and move on as though nothing ever happened.

[lyta]

04:36 PM on 06/18/2011

Both sides of the aisle wanted to be rid of the most articulate reformer in the congress. Democrats because he made them look inept and cowardly and republicans because he spoke the truth. In the end I knew they'd find a way to get him and they did, which is why none of the media would let it go, they were told and paid to get him out of the legislature. Sad day.

[texfly]

05:21 PM on 06/18/2011

I agree - sad

[Voltaire911]

02:55 PM on 06/18/2011

The majority of Democrats wanted Weiner to stay in office. I am not sure what point they are trying to make by letting their dirty laundry hang out in the front yard for a year and half before the elections. But then the Democrats got thrown out of office en masse in the last election and don't have a clue why that happened either.

[Ralphiec88]

03:05 PM on 06/18/2011

Talk radio fairy tale. The majority of Democrats thought Pelosi was blowing it from day one. Pelosi was clearly wrong, but it seems likely that Breitbart gave the talk show hosts more information than she had to work with.

[dragonlady620]

03:28 PM on 06/18/2011

Oh, we have a clue- a spin machine with virtually unlimited funding (thanks to the reprehensible Citizens United decision), filled with inflammatory soundbites and no substance. designed to dupe a gullible electorate into buying what they were selling without anything that even remotely resembles critical examination. And if what Weiner did was deplorable, it certainly isn't worse than what Vitter did- and I don't hear any Republicans calling for his resignation. Republicans are liars and hypocrites.

[vo1000]

02:48 PM on 06/18/2011

It became "too big a distraction" so she forced him to resign. Both Washington and the media have the attention span of a week old puppy. His indiscretions would have been forgotten as soon as Newt said the next stupid thing and they opined and analyzed that into the ground. I hope Nancy watched Rachel Maddow's show.

[coachc]

02:27 PM on 06/18/2011

A skin for Breitbart and the Radical Right. A damn shame.

Weiner’s Shenanigan­s Don’t “Vindicate­” Breitbart

Media outlets are referring to discredite­d hack Andrew Breitbart in more respectful tones, calling him a “conservat­ive commentato­r” or an “activist” and lending him an air of legitimacy­. And at Anthony Weiner’s press conference­—the one Breitbart hijacked before it had begun—repo­rters couldn’t shriek loudly enough about the “apology” that Weiner “owed” Breitbart ...

Article:
http://beeryblog.wordpress.com/2011/06/13/weiners-shenanigans-dont-vindicate-breitbart/

We're not forgetting Andrew

[interlude]

02:23 PM on 06/18/2011

The fool. What a waste. What a disappointment. What a loss.

[Tonelook]

02:11 PM on 06/18/2011

Weiner has left. A "Vitter should resign" ground swell/grass roots movement would be a poignant revisitation at this point. There aren't any Republican representatives or voters for that matter that have any decency; the GOP as the party of self serving, self righteous hypocrites has no moral ground to stand on.

[Golden111]

02:37 PM on 06/18/2011

Now, now....lashing out @ the opposition for the failings of your own party members isn't going to solve anything......

[Javalation]

02:46 PM on 06/18/2011

Vitter did get a standing ovation from the right. He must exemplify right wing values.

[dragonlady620]

03:37 PM on 06/18/2011

What Vitter did was worse- it wasn't just questionable, it was criminal. And the Republicans are not only not insisting on his resignation- he is being rewarded. John Cornyn (head of NRSC) has been one of the most vocal in calliing for Weiner's resignation, while directing significant amounts of money to Vitter's reelection campaign. Republicans are liars and hypocrites who have yet to accept a shred of responsiblity for trashing the country.

[Danl 86]

03:13 PM on 06/18/2011

I understand the sentiment but there are many more compelling issues. Let's not waste time on Vitter when Medicare, the assault on womens' rights, ending oil subsidies, financial reform and job creation resonate so much louder. Whining about Vitter only allows them to keep bringing up Weiner in their tit-for-tat mentality. Let's get back to the big issues

[NOV 2012]

02:04 PM on 06/18/2011

Weiner is a sad figure but hardly the worst rep. I would say that is Sheila Jackson Lee. Du.m.bes.t woman ever elected to the House. And it's not even close.