WordSmith › Grilled Weiner – Done!
“Pithy PRognostications from a recovering journalist …”
Words of the Day
“Congressman Weiner exercised poor judgment in his actions and poor judgment in his reaction to the revelations.” – Nancy Pelosi, House minority leader
Rep. Anthony Weiner Resigns After Roasting In Scandal
Representative Anthony D. Weiner – the high-profile New York Democrat who has roasted on the bonfire of negative PR for weeks after revelations of lewd online and Twitter exchanges with several women – has resigned from Congress.
In the barbecue pit of public opinion, WordSmith can safely proclaim – “Stick a fork in him, he’s done!” Figuratively and politically speaking, of course.
Weiner, who had been considered a leading candidate to be New York’s next mayor, said today that he was leaving his post as Congressman.
“I’m here to apologize for the personal mistakes I have made and the embarrassment that I have caused,” Weiner said in a hastily called news conference following a series of fatal missteps that skewered his character, and deep-sixed his image. Weiner added that he had hoped to be able to continue serving his constituents. “Unfortunately,” he said, “the distraction I created has made that impossible.”
Weiner announced his resignation in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, at a senior center where he announced his first campaign for City Council in 1991. But while that moment was filled with promise and excitement, his resignation occurred in a raucous and circuslike atmosphere, punctuated by shouting from a group of hecklers.
Weiner’s decision reflected more than a personal failure, but followed an intense push from top Democrats who worried that the scandal was a distraction and was hurting the momentum they believed they were gaining against Republicans in the budget battle as they prepared for elections next year.
The news came as Democratic leaders prepared to hold a meeting on Thursday to discuss whether to strip the 46-year-old congressman of his committee assignments, a blow that would severely damage his effectiveness.
“Congressman Weiner exercised poor judgment in his actions and poor judgment in his reaction to the revelations,” Nancy Pelosi, the House minority leader, said in a statement. “Today, he made the right judgment in resigning.”
Weiner came to the conclusion that he could no longer serve after having long discussions with his wife, Huma Abedin, when she returned to Washington on Wednesday after traveling abroad with her boss, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. Abedin did not appear by his side on Thursday.
The scandal involving Weiner erupted last month after a photograph of him wearing tight-fitting underwear was sent to a college student in Washington State. Weiner denied having anything to do with it, but during an emotional news conference on June 6, admitted to having sent the image and to inappropriate online exchanges with at least six women.
The pressure cooker intensified earlier this week when President Obama publicly suggested Weiner step down and Pelosi told reporters that she was prepared to strip Weiner of his committee assignments if he did not leave.
At the same time, the House ethics committee had formally opened an inquiry into Mr. Weiner’s conduct, including trading private messages with a teenage girl in Delaware. The investigation raised the prospect that he would face formal charges and sanctions, including expulsion.
It’s enough to make WordSmith wonder what the heck this promising public official was thinking? Mr. Weiner, meet Mr. Fork.
Golden Mic
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