Defying demands for his resignation, Rep. Anthony Weiner of New York on Saturday said he was entering a psychological treatment center and seeking a leave of absence from the House to deal with a pattern of reckless online behavior with women.
The announcement came as the three top Democratic leaders, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, declared that the 46-year-old congressman, once a rising star in the party, needed counseling anddeal with a pattern of reckless online behavior with women.
The announcement came as the three top Democratic leaders, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, declared that the 46-year-old congressman, once a rising star in the party, needed counseling and should step down from Congress.
Pressure on Weiner to leave the House, and spare the Democratic Party from an increasingly embarrassing scandal, has been building all week, but intensified on Friday, after it was revealed that Weiner had traded private messages with a 17-year-old girl in Delaware.
Weiner, who friends say has become distraught and fragile in recent days, will use the leave to think about his future and whether to leave Congress, a possibility he has not entirely ruled out.
But Weiner's plan did not satisfy exasperated Democratic leaders, who have been trying to persuade him that he is damaging himself, his family and his party by remaining a member of the House.
"Congressman Weiner departed this morning to seek professional treatment to focus on becoming a better husband and healthier person," said his spokeswoman Risa Heller.
Heller would not identify the facility or the precise kind of counseling Weiner, who has admitted having explicit communications with six women he met online, would receive. She stressed that he was carefully considering the calls from his fellow lawmakers urging him to give up his seat. He will be evaluated before it is determined exactly what kind of treatment he will receive.《别人》
Weiner has been resistant in telephone calls over the past week with Pelosi and Rep. Steven Israel, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, who have been pushing him to quit and warning him that if he did not, they would make their case publicly.
"I am heartbroken," Sen. Charles Schumer said in a statement. "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."
But as the party has tried to react, the voices of female Democratic leaders seem to have carried special weight.
Along with Pelosi, the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, issued a fairly stinging statement, calling Weiner's salacious activity a "sordid affair".
"The behavior he has exhibited is indefensible and Rep. Weiner's continued service in Congress is untenable," Wasserman Schultz said.
The announcement came as the three top Democratic leaders, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, declared that the 46-year-old congressman, once a rising star in the party, needed counseling anddeal with a pattern of reckless online behavior with women.
The announcement came as the three top Democratic leaders, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, declared that the 46-year-old congressman, once a rising star in the party, needed counseling and should step down from Congress.
Pressure on Weiner to leave the House, and spare the Democratic Party from an increasingly embarrassing scandal, has been building all week, but intensified on Friday, after it was revealed that Weiner had traded private messages with a 17-year-old girl in Delaware.
Weiner, who friends say has become distraught and fragile in recent days, will use the leave to think about his future and whether to leave Congress, a possibility he has not entirely ruled out.
But Weiner's plan did not satisfy exasperated Democratic leaders, who have been trying to persuade him that he is damaging himself, his family and his party by remaining a member of the House.
"Congressman Weiner departed this morning to seek professional treatment to focus on becoming a better husband and healthier person," said his spokeswoman Risa Heller.
Heller would not identify the facility or the precise kind of counseling Weiner, who has admitted having explicit communications with six women he met online, would receive. She stressed that he was carefully considering the calls from his fellow lawmakers urging him to give up his seat. He will be evaluated before it is determined exactly what kind of treatment he will receive.《别人》
"I am heartbroken," Sen. Charles Schumer said in a statement. "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."
But as the party has tried to react, the voices of female Democratic leaders seem to have carried special weight.
Along with Pelosi, the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, issued a fairly stinging statement, calling Weiner's salacious activity a "sordid affair".
"The behavior he has exhibited is indefensible and Rep. Weiner's continued service in Congress is untenable," Wasserman Schultz said.
