WASHINGTON — The saga of Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., took several turns Wednesday as a handful of Democrats in Congress called for him to resign and news broke that his wife was pregnant.
The New York Times reported that Weiner’s wife, Huma Abedin, a senior aide to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, is in the early stages of pregnancy with the couple’s first child. A person close to the Clinton family later confirmed the news to The Washington Post.
Clinton and Abedin left Washington on Wednesday for a scheduled tour of African nations. Another State Department aide on the trip, Philippe Reines, replied, “No comment,” when asked about the pregnancy report.
On Capitol Hill, eight Democrats called on Weiner to resign his House seat after his admission of engaging in virtual relationships with at least six women. The naysayers included Rep. Allyson Schwartz, D-Pa., who handles recruitment for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
“Having the respect of your constituents is fundamental for a Member of Congress,” Schwartz said in a statement, adding that in “light of Anthony Weiner’s offensive behavior online, he should resign.”
The statement was widely regarded as a sign that the party leadership had decided it is time for Weiner to leave the House. But the news of Abedin’s pregnancy may tamp down such calls out of respect for the couple’s privacy at such a delicate time.
Other Democrats to call for his resignation were Reps. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., Niki Tsongas, D-Mass., Mike Ross, D-Ark., Larry Kissell, D-N.C., and Michael Michaud, D-Maine, and Sens. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., and Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. Former Democratic National Committee chairman Timothy Kaine, running in Virginia for the U.S. Senate, also called on Weiner to step aside.
Late Wednesday, a spokeswoman for Weiner told The Associated Press that the congressman had “sent explicit photos” over the Internet. One such photo said to be of Weiner surfaced online Wednesday.
Those close to Weiner say he remains insistent that he has broken no laws and has no plans to leave the House. He said in his Monday news conference that his marriage will remain intact.
