President Obama Says if He Were Anthony Weiner, He Would Resign
President Obama has finally weighed in on the tragic saga of Rep. Anthony Weiner. During an interview with Today show host Ann Curry that is scheduled to air Tuesday morning, the president said that if he were in Weiner’s position, he would resign.
“Well, obviously what he did was highly inappropriate. I think he’s embarrassed himself, he’s acknowledged that, he’s embarrassed his wife and his family. Ultimately there’s going to be a decision for him and his constituents. I can tell you that if it was me, I would resign,” Obama said.
White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters Monday morning that the president believed that Weiner’s actions were “inappropriate” and a “distraction.”
If Weiner doesn’t take the hint from his party’s most powerful leader, perhaps he never will. The House Monday night granted the disgraced member a two-week leave. Weiner’s office announced on Saturday that he would be seeking treatment after news broke that one of his electronic “pen pals” is a 17-year-old girl.
The New York lawmaker may be waiting for the return of his wife, Huma Abedin, from Africa on Tuesday, where she’s been traveling with her boss, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. He’s definitely been getting mixed messages, however. While calls from Democratic and Republican lawmakers for him to resign have grown increasingly louder, his constituents and some lawmakers are urging him to hold on.
Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-New York), who has spoken to Weiner twice since he acknowledged his inappropriate actions, said that the scandal has taken a real toll on Weiner, but he believes that the decision about whether to resign is one that must be made by Weiner, his family and his constituents, who continue to stand behind him. Towns said that he’d welcome Weiner back to the House with open arms.
(Photo: Andrew Harrer-Pool/Getty Images)