WASHINGTON – Rep. Anthony Weiner is asking for a temporary leave of absence from the House while he seeks professional treatment in the wake of his Twitter scandal.
A spokeswoman for the New York Democrat says he has left for professional treatment and will focus on "becoming a better
husband and healthier person."
Spokeswoman Risa Heller says Weiner wants the leave of absence so he can be evaluated and work out a course of treatment.
The statement doesn't say what Weiner would be treated for.
Just before the statement, leading Democrats demanded that Weiner resign for sending online material ranging from sexually suggestive to explicit to several women.
"This sordid affair has become an unacceptable distraction for Representative Weiner, his family, his constituents and the House," Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the party chairwoman, said in a written statement calling for the New York lawmaker to quit.
The House Democratic leader, Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, said 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."
Weiner had no immediate reaction.
Before Saturday afternoon's developments, Weiner told reporters in his neighborhood that "I have to redeem myself and I am going to try to get back to work."
Weiner said his conduct involved "personal failings" and that he would try not to let them get in the way of his "professional work."
Wasserman Schultz, Pelosi and others party leaders made their demands one day after Weiner acknowledged that he had exchanged online messages with a Delaware teenager. He said the exchanges involved nothing inappropriate.
His party's leadership had refrained from demanding a resignation for days after Weiner admitted sending lewd photos and messages and at least one X-rated picture to a handful of women around the country over the past three years and then lying about it.
Weiner is married to Huma Abedin, a top aide to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Abedin is pregnant with the couple's first child. She is traveling with Clinton in Africa until the middle of next week.
A recent poll of registered voters in Weiner's New York City district found that 56 percent said he should stay in office while 33 percent said he should leave.
Pelosi has asked the House Ethics Committee to investigate whether Weiner used any government resources. He has said he does not believe he did.
Before Saturday's developments, at least nine House members and three senators said Weiner should resign.
He has repeatedly said he would not.
Weiner said earlier Saturday that his wife "is doing well" and that she "is a remarkable woman who is working very hard."
Saturday's events came after a teenage girl from Delaware was interviewed by police about online contact she had with Weiner, communications he has said were "neither explicit nor indecent." Authorities said the teen didn't say anything about illegal conduct.
The 46-year-old congressman acknowledged Friday that he had online contact with the 17-year-old girl but said there was nothing inappropriate. The New York Democrat issued his statement after FoxNews.com reported Friday that officers had interviewed the high school junior at her family's home north of Wilmington.
"They were made aware of an alleged contact between Congressman Anthony Weiner and an area teen," said Officer Tracey Duffy, a New Castle County police spokeswoman. "The teen has been interviewed and disclosed no information regarding any criminal activity."
Duffy said she doesn't know what led to the girl being questioned or whether the family had called police.
"I don't know what information they received that would prompt them to respond to this residence," she said. Duffy said the investigation was continuing.
Weiner spokeswoman Risa Heller said in a one-sentence statement Friday night, "According to Congressman Weiner, his communications with this person were neither explicit nor indecent."
The congressman said he exchanged at least five private messages on Twitter this spring with the girl after she heard him speak in Washington and became an admirer, The New York Times reported.
Late Friday night, no one answered when an Associated Press reporter called and knocked at the door of the teen's house even though lights were on and people were inside. The modest two-story house, in a neighborhood near the Pennsylvania border, had red, white and blue bows on the porch and two small American flags planted in the ground.
Neighbor Ben Melvin said the media was paying way too much attention to the Weiner episode.
"I don't think it's good for her and I don't think it's good for the nation," Melvin said. "It's a sideshow. It has nothing to do with his abilities as a representative. On the other hand it obviously shows some lack of judgment or something."
A shirtless man approached reporters standing outside the family's house and began threatening them with an ax. New Castle County police took the man into custody.
FoxNews.com reported that two officers visited the girl's home around 4:30 p.m. and that they were joined by another officer. The website reported that police left after about 30 minutes, and that the girl and her mother then departed in a separate car. FoxNews.com reported that the girl, whom it declined to identify because she is a minor, said, "I'm doing OK."
The news website had a reporter outside the house when the police visit occurred.
Weiner, a seven-term Democrat, has acknowledged sending sexually explicit messages over the Internet to a half-dozen women over the past three years and then lying about it. Weiner is married to Huma Abedin, a top aide to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton; Abedin is pregnant with the couple's first child.
Amid increasing calls for Weiner to resign, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said earlier Friday that the decision should be up to him and his constituents. In a recent poll of registered voters in Weiner's district, 56 percent said he should stay in office while 33 percent said he should leave.
Pelosi has asked the House Ethics Committee to investigate whether Weiner used any government resources. He has said he does not believe he did.
At least nine House members and three senators said Weiner should resign. He has repeatedly said he would not.
U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, said Thursday he wished Weiner would resign "to get that story off the front page." He said the controversy distracts from pressing economic issues. Two former Democratic Party chairmen also said he should resign.
Weiner did pick up support from U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel, a New York Democrat who was censured by the House last year for ethics violations. Rangel suggested that other members of Congress had done things more immoral than Weiner.
Rangel said Weiner "wasn't going with prostitutes. He wasn't going out with little boys."
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.