WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama, increasing pressure on Rep. Anthony Weiner to quit, said Monday that “I can tell you that if it was me, I would resign.”
In a rare foray into a congressman’s ethical conduct, Obama told NBC’s “Today” show that Weiner’s sexually charged photos and messages online to several women were “highly inappropriate.”
“I think he’s embarrassed himself. He’s acknowledged that. He’s embarrassed his wife and his family,” the president said in an interview to air this morning. “Ultimately, there’s gonna be a decision for him and his constituents. I can tell you that if it was me, I would resign.”
Obama said public service “is exactly that, it’s a service to the public. And when you get to the point where, because of various personal distractions, you can’t serve as effectively as you need to at the time when people are worrying about jobs, and their mortgages, and paying the bills, then you should probably step back.”
The House on Monday approved without objection a two-week leave of absence for the embattled New York Democrat. Weiner’s request was approved by unanimous consent at the close of legislative business.
The House ethics committee began a preliminary inquiry Monday that could bloom into a full investigation if Weiner, a New York Democrat, ignores calls to resign.
House officials told The Associated Press that the ethics inquiry is not yet extensive, and committee leaders have not indicated whether they will order a more intensive staff investigation. The officials requested anonymity because the committee has not announced the staff inquiry.
If Weiner did resign, the committee would no longer have jurisdiction to investigate him.
