Weiner Saturday said he would take a leave of absence from the House and seek treatment. Weiner seeks 'treatment,' House leave

Rep. Anthony Weiner rejected Democratic leaders’ private and public calls for his resignation Saturday, choosing instead to take a leave of absence from the House to seek professional treatment amid an online sex scandal that the head of the party called a “sordid affair.”

Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, (D-Fla.), House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Rep. Steve Israel, the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, turned on Weiner the day after it was revealed he had contacted a 17-year-old Delaware girl through social media. Though Weiner, Delaware police and the girl’s family say there was nothing indecent in the back-and-forth, the development added intrigue to the New York Democrat’s confession on Monday that he sent sexually charged text messages and photographs to six women over the past three years.


For now, his vow to remain in office stands, but he didn’t appear dug in: He left open the possibility, for the first time, of leaving, with a statement that suggested he needs to be in a better mental position to make a decision about his future.

“Congressman Weiner departed this morning to seek professional treatment to focus on becoming a better husband and healthier person,” Weiner’s office said in a statement provided to POLITICO. “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.”

But the mass abandonment from party leaders means Weiner will go it alone if, after reflection and treatment, he believes he can salvage a once-promising career in which he used bombastic floor speeches, frequent cable television appearances and, ironically, an understanding of the power of social media to become an icon for national progressives. The story of Weiner’s political career hasn’t yet reached its conclusion, but the onetime protagonist is now cast as the antagonist.

The decision to seek treatment buys Weiner time, but the statement from his aides suggests he might still quit rather than return to Congress after his leave of absence.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), the former DCCC chairman and top Democrat on the House Budget Committee, added his name to the list of Democratic officials who have called on Weiner to resign. “Anthony Weiner’s repeated violation of the public trust is unacceptable,” Van Hollen said. “He can best advance the issues he fought for by resigning immediately.”

In addition to Wasserman Schultz, two former DNC chairmen, Ed Rendell and Tim Kaine, have said Weiner should step down, as have several of Weiner’s rank-and-file congressional colleagues.

However, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the No. 3 Democrat in the Senate, and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) both approved of Weiner’s decision to seek treatment and did not call for his resignation.

Schumer, Weiner’s former boss, said: “I am heartbroken. For those of us who are longtime friends of Anthony Weiner, his wrongful behavior is distressing and saddening. It’s clear he needs professional help, and I am glad he is seeking it.”

Gillibrand said: “My heart is with Anthony’s wife and family. My office will work to ensure all the constituents of the 9th congressional District are fully served during any leave of absence by Congressman Weiner.”

On Friday, FOX News reported that Wilmington-area police had visited a Delaware teenager to discuss Weiner’s electronic exchange with her.

Though Weiner and the girl’s family have told news outlets that there was no sex-related communication, the revelation that he carried on a discussion of any kind with a 17-year-old girl pumped more life into a scandal that has now spanned three weekends.

Pelosi and Israel only issued their statements after asking Weiner privately to call it quits, and when he refused, they issued their coordinated barrage on Saturday afternoon.

“They both called him this morning and said ‘you should resign,’ and he didn’t, and they issued their statements,” a source familiar with the discussions told POLITICO. “The White House was engaged.”

Patrick Gaspard, the former White House political director, was the point man for the DNC, the source said.

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

A day earlier, Pelosi had declined to call for him to resign after inquiries to her office.

Israel and Wasserman Schultz were less generous in their assessment of their colleague.

“Anthony’s inappropriate behavior has become an insurmountable distraction to the House and our work for the American people. With a heavy heart, I call on Anthony to resign,” Israel said.

Calling the scandal a “sordid affair, Wasserman Schultz, who is a surrogate for President Barack Obama in her role as DNC chairman, said “the behavior he has exhibited is indefensible and Rep. Weiner’s continued service in Congress is untenable.”

A “coordinated effort was kicked off once Weiner decided to seek treatment,” a senior Democratic aide told POLITICO. “Leaders have been talking to him all week. His decision to seek treatment, on top of pressure of Sunday shows and members coming back on Monday, all equaled the ultimate decision for the leaders to go today.”

One source described the treatment as further evaluation from therapy he began last week.

But less than a week ago, Weiner himself said his behavior didn’t stem from a treatable condition. “This is not something that can be treated away,” he said.

Lisa Rasmussen, a clinical psychologist who specializes in marital and relationship therapy, said: “It is wise and useful to be introspective and understand why he engaged in this behavior. However, therapy should not be used as penance for wrongdoing such that when the treatment is through, his behavior is excused.”

There is nothing in the House rules or ethics manual that prevents Weiner from taking time off to get treatment, even if the Democratic leadership does not approve of his actions and wants to see him step down.

However, Democratic leaders could take action against him in other ways. They could move to expel him from the House Democratic Caucus, or could seek to strip his committee assignments. This was done by Democrats against former Rep. James Traficant of Ohio following his conviction on corruption but before he was expelled from Congress in 2002.

There is no indication Pelosi and other Democrats have decided to take such drastic moves, but the option is open to them if Weiner refuses to step down.

He could take solace in the stance of one Democratic leader, Assistant to the Leader Jim Clyburn, who said Weiner’s colleagues should have a chance to discuss the matter in person before passing judgment.

“I stand by my comments from last week that the full Caucus should address this issue when we meet next week,” Clyburn said in a release.

The White House has been noticeably silent on the matter.

Adding to the intrigue, if not the core problem, was this week’s revelation that Weiner’s wife, Huma Abedin, is pregnant. She is currently traveling abroad as an aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

One Democratic official told POLITICO that party leaders had set an internal deadline of Saturday for Weiner to resign — or face high-level calls for him to step down — before it was reported that he had communicated with the Delaware teenager.

The girl, whose name has been withheld by news outlets, told a FOX reporter that she’s doing “OK” before leaving her home with her mother and New Castle County police on Friday.

A Weiner spokeswoman emailed a statement in response to the reports that confirmed his contact with the girl but denied anything was amiss.

“According to Congressman Weiner, his communications with this person were neither explicit nor indecent,” said the statement.

On Saturday morning, the New York Post and the New York Daily News reported that the New Castle police had not found anything inappropriate in Weiner’s exchanges with the teenager.

Weiner’s troubles began two weekends ago when a picture of a man wearing gray boxer briefs was linked to Weiner’s Twitter account. Conservative publisher Andrew Breitbart reported that Weiner had tried to send it to a college student in Washington but instead made it publicly available through the Web platform yfrog. Initially, Weiner said his Facebook account had been hacked and that it was “obvious” he was the victim of a “prank.”

After denying that he posted the photo in a week’s worth of television interviews, Weiner finally copped to his role in a bizarre news conference Monday at a Manhattan hotel. Breitbart told reporters at the same venue that he had a more explicit photo of Weiner that had been sent online but would withhold it because of Weiner’s confession.

But that photo was posted online by radio shock jocks known as Opie and Anthony after they captured the image from Breitbart’s cell phone during an interview for their program. Weiner’s office did not contest that the nude male genitals in the photograph were those of the congressman. In the days leading up to and since his apology, Weiner’s explicit exchanges with a series of women, including an adult film actress, have been reported on Breitbart’s site, www.radaronline.com and in mainstream newspapers.

— John Bresnahan and Glenn Thrush contributed to this report