US ‘sexting’ lawmaker quits to cry of ‘pervert!’
NEW YORK–“Pervert!” a man cried, as US Congressman Antony Weiner announced amid loud jeering Thursday that he was resigning because he got caught sending lewd electronic pictures of his bulging crotch.
Weiner endured insults and finger wagging — but was also cheered by a handful of loyalists — as he told the world he was quitting his job of more than 12 years in the House of Representatives.
In his nearly four-minute speech Weiner, 46, apologized for the “damage” the tawdry scandal caused his wife and fellow lawmakers.
The New York congressman chose an unusual venue for his political humiliation: a senior citizen’s center, packed with grandparents who arrived on wheelchairs, walked with the aid of canes, or were assisted by helpers. They sat on the sides of the room, while reporters took over the center.
Weiner showed up some 20 minutes late for the press conference at the Council Center for Senior Citizens in Brooklyn, New York. Outside, police had blocked traffic on the street, full of TV broadcast trucks.
When Weiner finally showed up he was met by applause from supporters and a cascade of camera clicks from the pack of photographers.
“About 20 years I stood in this very same room here… and asked my neighbors for their help… in electing me to the City Council,” Weiner began, speaking at a podium between two US flags.
Weiner talked about how it was “humbling” to represent the district, and how he had “never forgotten” his neighbors, “because they represent the same middle-class story as mine.”
“I had hoped to be able to continue the work that the citizens of my district elected me to do,” he said. “Unfortunately, the distraction that I have created has made that impossible.”
The aged Weiner supporters gasped when the congressman announced his resignation. Some younger people in the crowd however cheered, and a voice cried out, “pervert!”
Weiner thanked his colleagues in the House of Representatives, (“They come from different places around the country, but fundamentally we all agree: They’re all patriots”); his staff (“They are young people who are not paid very much. There are people that worked very hard and very long hours”); and “the many people” who have helped him.
Weiner continued speaking despite a crescendo of jeers. A man in the audience stood up from his wheelchair and yelled at Weiner, wagging his finger.
Weiner also expressed gratitude “to my family, to my mother and father, who instilled in me the values that carried me this far… and of course to my wife, Huma, who has stood with me in this entire difficult period.”
However Weiner’s wife Huma Abedin, a top aide to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, was not standing by him at the press conference. Abedin is reportedly pregnant with the couple’s first child.
Said Weiner: “I’ll be looking for other ways to contribute my talents.”
More heckling and jeers followed as Weiner exited.
“We don’t want him to quit,” said Ethel Winberg, 75, a Weiner supporter and a regular at the center. “Give him a break. He made a mistake, he needs a treatment.”
