In a major upping of the ante, the top three Democratic leaders in the House (DCCC Chair Israel, DNC Chair Wasserman-Schultz and Leader Pelosi) have simultaneously called on Rep. Anthony Weiner to resign from Congress.
Late Update: The latest round of calls for Rep. Weiner’s resignation were apparently sparked by news reports that he exchanged online messages with a 17 year old girl in Delaware. There’s no question that if it were discovered that Weiner knowingly exchanged sexually charged messages with a minor that he would become more politically radioactive than Chernobyl. And it’s not surprising to me that these Dem leaders don’t want to wait to find out more given how this whole thing has escalated.
However, it is worth noting that there is as yet zero evidence that the messages were of a sexual nature and clear denials of the same from the girl and from Weiner. Indeed, the local police have issued a statement suggesting that they have no evidence that the messages were of a sexual nature. And it appears that the original news report was a Fox News set up. (Note that the Fox reporter was waiting outside the girl’s home when the police arrived to speak with her.) So until we learn more, I think it’s worth keeping these salient facts in mind.
