Sexting solon takes leave for treatment

WASHINGTON—A married New York congressman who sent sexually explicit photographs of himself to women he met through social networks said he was entering professional treatment and requested a leave of absence from Congress.

An aide for Rep. Anthony Weiner made the disclosure in a statement on Saturday shortly after several Democratic party leaders demanded he resign for exchanging messages and photos ranging from sexually suggestive to explicit with several women online.

“This sordid affair has become an unacceptable distraction for Representative Weiner, his family, his constituents and the House,” Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chair of the Democratic National Committee, said in a written statement calling for the 46-year-old married lawmaker to step down.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the House Democratic leader, said Weiner “has the love of his family, the confidence of his constituents, and the recognition that he needs help. I urge Congressman Weiner to seek that help without the pressures of being a member of Congress.”

Aides said later that Pelosi had been aware of Weiner’s plan to enter treatment when she issued her statement and that her call for a resignation had not changed.

The scandal has dominated US news and distracted attention from efforts by President Barack Obama’s Democrats to slam Republicans for proposing deep cuts to Medicare, a popular healthcare program for the elderly.

Short leave

Weiner’s spokesperson, Risa Heller, said in the statement that the congressman departed during the morning “to seek professional treatment to focus on becoming a better husband and healthier person. In light of that, he will request a short leave of absence from the House of Representatives so that he can get evaluated and map out a course of treatment to make himself well.”

The statement did not say where Weiner would receive treatment or what type was involved.

Also joining in calls for Weiner to quit was New York Democratic Rep. Steve Israel, chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and a member of the party’s leadership.

In an interview, Israel said he had told Weiner in a phone conversation during the day “that I was going to call on him to resign and he absorbed that. Obviously he had much more personal and pressing issues that he was addressing.”

Pelosi, the former House Speaker, also spoke with Weiner during the day to let him know that she, too, would be joining the calls for his resignation.

Scandal without sex

The developments occurred one day after Weiner acknowledged he had exchanged online messages with a 17-year-old girl in the state of Delaware. He said nothing improper had passed between the two of them.

Nor was there even an allegation that Weiner had a physical relationship with any of the women with whom he maintained virtual relationships.

That made his case a departure from the norm, a sex scandal without sex, a phenomenon of the age of Facebook, Twitter and other social media.

Brewing for days

Democrats said the concerted call for Weiner’s resignation had been brewing for days, as senior party officials concluded the scandal was interfering with their attempts to gain political momentum in advance of the 2012 elections.

Democrats hope to rebound from a devastating election defeat in November last year when the Republicans gained control of the House.

“We had decided we were not going to have one more week of Anthony Weinergate,” said one official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

This official added that Pelosi and Israel had spoken numerous times in the past several days with Weiner, hoping to persuade him to step down for the good of the party and telling him that because of the media focus on his predicament, their attacks on a Republican Medicare proposal were largely unnoticed.

The Republicans have proposed major cuts in the government-run Medicare program providing healthcare coverage to the elderly.

X-rated photo

Publicly, Pelosi, Schultz and others had been notably reticent in the days since Weiner held a news conference on Monday to announce he had exchanged lewd photos, and more, with a handful of women.

On Thursday, an X-rated photo surfaced on a website. In response, Weiner’s office issued a statement that did not deny the photo had been taken of him.

The statement by Weiner’s aide did not specify how long a leave of absence the congressman would seek.

According to one Democratic aide, leaves are granted automatically once a lawmaker requests one, and no vote or other type of acquiescence by the House is required.

‘Falling apart’

The concerns of Democratic leaders were echoed by those closely advising Weiner throughout the week, who said they watched him become more anguished and untethered as sensational press coverage continued about his graphic interactions with the women on social media.

One friend said it had become abundantly clear that the congressman was no longer in a position to make clear-headed decisions about his career and health.

“He was falling apart,” said a longtime friend, who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect the relationship.

Weiner, who prides himself on his dapper appearance and physical fitness, was losing weight, seemed run-down and increasingly found it difficult to make it through telephone calls without losing his composure.

‘Working hard’

Until he disclosed he was seeking treatment, Weiner had given no indication he was considering anything other than returning to the Capitol on Monday when the House returns from a weeklong break—raising the prospect of a circus-like atmosphere when the news media would attempt to track his whereabouts.

As he was running some personal errands near his home in the New York City borough of Queens on Saturday morning, he said he was looking forward to getting back to work quickly.

“I’ve made some mistakes. I’ve acknowledged it. I’m trying to make it up to my wife and my family,” Weiner said. “I’m working hard to get back to normal.”

As he walked to a neighborhood dry cleaner with a load of shirts over one arm, he wore an anguished look on his face.

Even so, Weiner fielded questions politely and paused several times to accept well wishes from neighbors and constituents.

‘She’s doing well’

Asked how his wife was taking the scandal, Weiner said: “She’s doing well. She’s a remarkable woman.”

Weiner is married to Huma Abedin, a top aide to US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Abedin, who is pregnant with the couple’s first child, is traveling with Clinton in Africa until the middle of next week.

She was not in attendance on Monday when Weiner held his news conference, choosing to avoid the stand-by-your-man-moment that has become standard in other sex scandals in recent years.

Before Saturday’s developments, at least nine Democratic House members and three senators said Weiner should resign. Reports from AP and New York Times News Service