In a live press conference hastily called after more allegations that he has been sexting photos of himself naked and engaging in other extramarital activities online, Anthony Weiner moments ago said he is surprised more photos and texts haven’t come out, given how close it is to primary day.
Weiner also confessed that his resignation from Congress was not the end of his behavior, which he called “destructive,” but said, “I put it behind me.” He added his sexting behavior ended some time last summer.
Weiner took questions and said he will not drop out of the race.
After Weiner’s comments, his wife, Huma Abedin, told reporters that she loves her husband and this is a private matter between them. She insisted she made the choice to stay with him and work on their marriage.
“The conversations, posted on gossip site The Dirty, allegedly took place after Weiner resigned from Congress and were posted under the alias ‘Carlos Danger,'” the Washington Post reports:
The Dirty editor Nik Richie writes that, according to the young woman who leaked him the messages, the online relationship went on last year and lasted six months. Weiner resigned from Congress over sexual online exchanges in the summer of 2011. His statement today sheds no light on the timing of these newly-revealed conversations, although he does say that his behavior caused “challenges in our marriage that extended past my resignation from Congress.â€
“I said that other texts and photos were likely to come out, and today they have,†Weiner said. “As I have said in the past, these things that I did were wrong and hurtful to my wife and caused us to go through challenges in our marriage that extended past my resignation from Congress. While some things that have been posted today are true and some are not, there is no question that what I did was wrong. This behavior is behind me. I’ve apologized to Huma and am grateful that she has worked through these issues with me and for her forgiveness. I want to again say that I am very sorry to anyone who was on the receiving end of these messages and the disruption that this has caused. As my wife and I have said, we are focused on moving forward.â€
Weiner announced his candidacy for mayor of New York City in May of this year, after resigning from Congress in June of 2011.
Weiner, who is 48, is currently leading NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn in the polls, although today’s revelations may change that.
Quinn, who is 46, was married to Kim Catullo in May of 2012.
Image: Screenshot via CBS News