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Politics

Rep. Anthony Weiner resigns

By Lisa Mascaro, Kathleen Hennessey and Michael A. Memoli
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[UPDATE 11:33 a.m.: Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) has announced his resignation from Congress, ending a saga that became public when he mistakenly posted a lewd photo to his Twitter feed on Memorial Day weekend.]

Bowing to pressure from his party, Rep. Anthony Weiner plans to resign on Thursday, according to Democratic sources.

The New York congressman shared his decision with House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday evening while she and other members of Congress were attending a picnic at the White House.

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Photos: Rep. Weiner sexting scandal

The decision ends a prolonged saga that began Memorial Day weekend, when Weiner mistakenly posted a lewd photo to his Twitter feed that was intended to be shared privately. He initially claimed his account was hacked, but later admitted that he had engaged in inappropriate communications with at least six women online for years.

Democrats have been steadily working to force Weiner out. On Saturday, Pelosi and the chair of the Democratic National Committee, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, called on Weiner to resign. On Monday, President Obama told NBC News that if he were Weiner, he would step down; the White House called him a “distraction.”

The Democratic caucus was considering additional steps this week, including stripping Weiner of his committee assignments.

Weiner’s resignation would trigger a special election in the 9th District. Though it leans Democratic, it could be ripe for a Republican pickup in what would be a very expensive and closely watched campaign. Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo has the power to call for that election, which would take place within 30 to 40 days after his declaration.

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Lisa Mascaro

Lisa Mascaro previously covered Congress in Washington, D.C., for the Los Angeles Times. She left in February 2018. A Los Angeles-area native, she has reported across Southern California, edited, traveled the States and worked in Texas. While the Washington correspondent for the Las Vegas Sun, she contributed as the paper won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. An economics and political science graduate of UC Santa Barbara, she also studied in Budapest, Hungary.

Kathleen Hennessey

Kathleen Hennessey was a White House correspondent from 2011-15. She also covered Congress and national politics from Washington, and previously wrote about Nevada politics for the Associated Press. She is native of Minnesota and holds degrees from Boston College and UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism.

Michael A. Memoli

Michael A. Memoli worked in the Los Angeles Times’ Washington, D.C., bureau from 2010-17, where he covered the White House, the 2016 presidential campaign, and national politics based in D.C. (plus a dozen or so swing states in presidential election years). A New Jersey native, he graduated from Loyola University in Maryland.

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