Guess he got the hint from President Obama.
Mired in a lewd Twitter photo scandal, New York Representative Anthony Weiner indeed resigned from Congress, effective immediately, in a rowdy Thursday press conference filled with hecklers.
The 46 year-old New Yorker's decision reportedly came following long conversations with his wife, Huma Abedin. Now expecting her first child, Abedin returned from a trip abroad Tuesday with her boss, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. The embattled couple were spotted outside their apartment in Queens, New York an hour before the press conference, Yahoo reports.
"I had hoped to continue the work the citizens in my district had elected me to do," Weiner said. "The distraction I have created has made that impossible." Weiner added that he strives to privately "heal that damage that I have caused" as Congress gets back to work.
Almost two weeks ago, Weiner confessed that he had initially lied about posting lewd photos of himself on Twitter as he flirted with at least seven women. On Saturday, Weiner's rep confirmed that he had checked into a treatment facility to seek professional help to "become a better husband and healthier person."
On Monday, President Obama suggested that Weiner should resign as a result of the scandal, following earlier, similar comments from House Democratic leaders.
Said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee.: "The behavior he has exhibited is indefensible and Rep. Weiner's continued service in Congress is untenable."
The House ethics committee formally began investigating Weiner's scandal earlier this week.
Weiner had remained hopeful that his marriage to first-time mom-to-be Abedin could survive, thanking her repeatedly throughout the press conference.
"I love my wife very much," Weiner said last week. "We've been through a great deal together and will weather this."
