Embattled Rep. Anthony Weiner admitted to posting lewd photos of himself on Twitter at a Monday afternoon press conference.
While addressing the media at the Sheraton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, Weiner made the following statement: “Last Friday night I tweeted a photograph of myself that I intended to send as direct message as part of a joke to a woman in Seattle. Once I realized I posted it to Twitter, I panicked, I took it down and said that I had been hacked. I then continued with that story to stick to that story which was a hugely regrettable mistake.”
Weiner apologized to the Seattle student, who was on the receiving end of the tweet. “To be clear, the picture was of me and I sent it. I am deeply sorry for the pain this has caused my wife Huma and our family, and my constituents, my friends, supporters and staff,” Weiner said.
In addition, the congressman said that “over the past few years I have engaged in several inappropriate conversations conducted over Twitter, Facebook, email, and occasionally on the phone with women I have met online.”
Weiner said he “exchanged messages and photos of an explicit nature with about six women over the last three years.” He said “most” of the communications took place before his marriage, but admitted some took place afterward.
‘To be clear, I have never met any of these women or have had any physical relationships at any time,” Weiner said.
Weiner said that he may seek professional help, but stated “this is my own personal mistake. This is a deep weakness that I have demonstrated.”
Weiner also said he would not resign and that he did not believe that he did anything that broke the law. Weiner said it was a mistake but that he was trying to protect his wife.
“I’m not resigning, and I’m going to try very hard to go back to work a better man and a better husband too,” he said.
Weiner said he doesn’t believe he used government resources in sending the messages, and that his staff did not know he had done so.
However, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has called for an ethics committee investigation to see if House rules broken by Weiner.
When asked if he would split from his wife, Weiner said he loved his wife very much and that they would not split.
He also said he did not see any of the photos that were posted Monday on BigGovernment.com, but admitted that he did have inappropriate conversations with various women.
Earlier conservative author Andrew Breitbart posted two pictures of Weiner on his website BigGovernment.com, which Breitbart claimed were emailed to a young woman he declined to identify.
Breitbart said the photographs were sent to the woman from Weiner’s AOL email account via his BlackBerry on May 4. Speaking before Weiner at the same hotel, Breitbart said “everything we’ve reported about this story has been true.”
Weiner came under fire last week for a suggestive photo sent from his Twitter account of a man in grey underwear to a 21-year-old woman.
Before speaking to the media today, the congressman adamantly denied that he sent the photo and claims he was the victim of a prank.
The “crotch” photo was first reported Saturday by BigGovernment.com.
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