....so concluded Xo
------------------------------------------------
Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) will resign from his seat in Congress, heeding calls from President Barack Obama, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and dozens of other congressional Democrats, sources confirm to POLITICO. The resignation ends nearly three weeks of tumultuous political controversy since the New York congressman sent a lewd picture of himself over Twitter which he claimed at first was a result of a hack, and later admitted he had sent himself.
Weiner is expected to make his resignation official at an event at 2 pm, though it wasn?t immediately clear where.
According to two sources, Weiner made up his mind to resign Wednesday night, and shortly after began making calls to inform them of his decision.
Weiner and DCCC chair Steve Israel ? who had also called for his resignation ? were in touch by phone and e-mail throughout the day on Wednesday. It was during a phone conversation toward the tail end of the White House picnic on Wednesday night when Weiner told Israel he would resign, according to a Democratic aide. Israel gave Pelosi his phone so she could get word from Weiner firsthand.
House Democrats were set to strip Weiner of his committee assignments on Thursday morning, though they were not officially informed before a meeting in the Capitol Thursday morning with a White House liaison. But the news spread quickly following media reports.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), who chairs the Democratic National Committee, said she had no comment about the resignation and only knew what she read on her BlackBerry.
Rep. Jerry Nadler, a fellow New York City Democrat, told Politico ?It?s very sad, the whole thing is very sad. It?s a tragedy and I wish him well, what else can I say??
Rep. Nita Lowey, one of the more senior New York Democrats, told Politico ?There?s life after Congress. I hope that he spends his time devoted to his wonderful wife Huma and I wish him good luck.?
Nadler and Lowey both shrugged when asked about his political future in New York.
Rep. Lacy Clay (D-Mo.) called Weiner a ?die-hard member of our caucus. And I hope he gets needed help.?
?Sad,? Clay said of his feelings about the situation. ?The entire situation is sad.?
A handful of TV crews remained outside of Weiner?s office in the Rayburn Building on Thursday, where they have been camped out since the Twitter scandal broke. Some passers-by snickered or used their smartphones to photograph themselves in front of Weiner?s hallway name plate before it?s removed.
Democrats walking by had little to say about the resignation, other than expressing hope that Weiner?s departure will help them get back to their message of jobs, the economy and protecting Medicare.
?Clearly he?s made his decision, and his decision speaks for itself,? Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, told POLITICO.
Weiner?s resignation comes after his wife Huma Abedin, an aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, returned from a week-long trip to Africa with her boss. Weiner had said he would wait until Abedin returned before making a final decision on his plans. She returned home early Wednesday.
The resignation caps an almost three-week frenzy that began when a photo of a man?s crotch was posted publicly on his Twitter account. For a week, he claimed he had been ?hacked,? but at a tear-filled press conference last week he admitted that he had intended to send the photo to a Seattle college student and that he had sent that and other racy photos to at least six women over the last three years. More photos have since become public, including one of his naked genitals and others of him posing in the House gym.
Weiner, a protege of Sen. Chuck Schumer, was a major presence on cable news in recent years and a growing force in local politics back home in New York. He made a surprisingly strong run for New York City mayor in 2005, was seen as the prohibitive frontrunner going into the 2013 race, with high name recognition and $4 million already in the bank from an aborted 2009 run.
In a special election for the seat, which includes parts of Brooklyn and Queens, the Democratic and Republican nominees would be picked in a closed process by party leadership. For the Democrats, this would give most of the power to Rep. Joe Crowley, who heads the Queens Democratic Party. Assemblyman Rory Lancman is seen as one likely choice for the seat. For the Republicans, speculation has centered on City Councilman Eric Ulrich, though Bob Turner, a self-funded candidate who challenged Weiner in 2010, has also signaled his interest.
Article
