Saturday, June 11, 2011

Democratic Leaders Call on Weiner to Resign - Major Garrett - Politics - The Atlantic

Weiner Taking Leave Of Absence To Seek Treatment - Jackson News Story - WAPT Jackson

NEW YORK (CNN) -- U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner, who has resisted calls to resign over inappropriate communications with women online, is taking a leave of absence and left Saturday morning for professional treatment, a spokesman said.

"Congressman Weiner departed this morning to seek professional treatment to focus on becoming a better husband and healthier person," Weiner spokeswoman Risa Heller said. "In light of that, he will request a short leave of absence from the House of Representatives so that he can get evaluated and map out a course of treatment to make himself well.

"Congressman Weiner takes the views of his colleagues very seriously and has determined that he needs this time to get healthy and make the best decision possible for himself, his family and his constituents," Heller said.

Weiner has been under fire after admitting to inappropriate communications with women online.

The decision comes as three weighty Democratic voices -- including Nancy Pelosi -- called for Weiner's resignation.

The House Minority Leader, and the chairmen of the Democratic National Committee and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in separate statements called for Weiner to step down.

The New York congressman has resisted calls to resign.

"Congressman Weiner has the love of his family, the confidence of his constituents, and the recognition that he needs help. I urge Congressman Weiner to seek that help without the pressures of being a Member of Congress," Pelosi said.

DCCC chair Steve Israel also wished Weiner well in his personal life, but said that the scandal has "become an insurmountable distraction" to the House.

"The behavior he has exhibited is indefensible and Representative Weiner's continued service in Congress is untenable," DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz said, also calling it a distraction.

The statements come as Delaware authorities are investigating contact between a local teen and Weiner.

"Detectives were made aware of alleged contact between Congressman Anthony Weiner and an area teen," New Castle County Police said in a statement. "Detectives have conducted an interview with the teen and she has made no disclosure of criminal activity nor inappropriate contact by the congressman."

Weiner's spokeswoman said the interaction with the Delaware teen was not inappropriate.

"According to Congressman Weiner, his communications with this person were neither explicit nor indecent," Risa Heller said in a statement.

Pressed for answers on the Delaware allegations as he ran errands in the New York City borough of Queens on Saturday, Weiner told reporters: "Nothing explicit, nothing indecent. Absolutely nothing inappropriate."

Weiner, who is married, admitted this week that he engaged in sexually tinged communications with women and lied about it.

The New York congressman publicly apologized Monday for exchanging "messages and photos of explicit nature with about six women in the last three years." He said he communicated with women through Facebook, Twitter, e-mail and, occasionally, on the phone.

"I don't know the exact ages of the women ... at least to the best of my knowledge, they were all adults, and they were engaging in conversations consensually," Weiner said Monday. "All I know is what they published about themselves in social media."

Weiner also said he never met any of the women in person.

CNN's Dana Bash, Jason Carroll, Holly Yan, Tom Cohen and Alan Silverleib contributed to this report.
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