Book: Contact with Underage Girl Was Weiner’s Downfall
The New York Post reports:
President Obama was willing to put up with a lot of Anthony Weiner’s antics — the bad boy congressman’s sexting with women he never met, tweeting pics of his own penis, and acid tongue.
But the White House finally got fed up when reports emerged that the pol was in contact with an underage girl.
According to a new book, the cold shoulder from the White House was the beginning of the end of Weiner’s career in Congress.
“We were willing to stand by him before, but I don’t see how we can do it any longer,” White House political director Patrick Gaspard is quoted as telling Weiner’s advisers.
With that, Weiner — who thought he could weather the scandal that started when he accidentally tweeted a crotch shot — lost his trademark bravado.
“I just can’t figure out what I should do,” Weiner told advisers.
I believe the girl in question is the one discussed in posts of mine, here and here and here.
I never knew until now that these posts were so central to Weiner’s decision to step down. Now that I realize this, a lot of things make sense.
About which, more later.
P.S. The book comes out tomorrow and can be ordered here.
Hopefully sooner rather than later.
Patterico (feda6b) — 4/23/2012 @ 10:20 pmI wonder whatever happened to him
happyfeet (3c92a1) — 4/23/2012 @ 10:29 pmI think he spent some campaign funds pursuing a phony story; then some purported supporters of his (who supported that same phony story) pursued a brutal and violent (indeed potentially deadly) campaign against certain people who wrote about his story; and he had a baby. That pretty much cover it?
Patterico (feda6b) — 4/23/2012 @ 10:37 pmthat’s a lot but somehow it feels like the story lacks closure
like his comeuppance is incomplete in some way
and he had a baby
that was one of the most startling things… the man was by all appearances indeed sleeping with his wife
you ever wonder wonder if Huma thought he was shaving his chest just for her?
happyfeet (3c92a1) — 4/23/2012 @ 10:53 pm
happyfeet (3c92a1) — 4/23/2012 @ 10:55 pmwonderComment by Patterico — 4/23/2012 @ 10:37 pm
I wonder exactly how much Weiner had to do with all the collateral damage that was inflicted? Or even getting the ball rolling on it?
This story could actually get huge again. I think more books will be written.
Noodles (3681c4) — 4/23/2012 @ 11:48 pmThis is Huma’s husband? Ain’t nothing clean around the Clintons?
nk (875f57) — 4/24/2012 @ 12:37 amI just re-read all of the Betty/Ethel links and had forgotten how truly skeevy Weiner is. I think posts like that will keep him from running for public office ever again.
The photos are one thing, but no way does he want this story coming up again and again. Good job Patterico.
Noodles (3681c4) — 4/24/2012 @ 1:10 amHuma doesn’t do Weiners.
sickofrinos (44de53) — 4/24/2012 @ 3:16 amTypical lib reasoning. So long as what he did was merely immoral, but not illegal, they were prepared to look the other way.
Klassy.
Icy (9fb67b) — 4/24/2012 @ 3:42 amIn other words, we were quite happy to overlook reprehensible behavior which is very much unbecoming to a sitting U.S. Representative for a good long time, because he was one of ours. Our own standards are low enough that it takes a scandal involving the worst of the worst in order for us to throw one of our own under the bus.
Had the Rep been a Republican, however, a) it would have been a scandal and a hissing all over the press from day one, and b) the Rep probably would have stepped down almost immediately on his own.
So. Lessons to be learned:
Stoutcat (27f923) — 4/24/2012 @ 5:54 amIf you’re a dem, you can get away with almost anything except if she’s a minor.
If you must behave badly, at least obey the 11th Commandment. Don’t get caught.
My impression was that he was always on very thin ice, and that even if he survived th first wave of skeev reveal, he was marked as too dangerous to invest much more in. He was done; the flirting with very young women, and the one teen in particular, just accelerated his fall.
Sarahw (b0e533) — 4/24/2012 @ 6:00 amI told you back on June 12, 2011 that only the underage thing mattered.
“She’s young but she’s over 18. Only proof of exploitation of an under-18 will change the narrative.”
https://patterico.com/2011/06/11/my-chat-with-gennette-cordova/#comment-803142
I guess it turns out I was wrong: we didn’t need “proof” he was having sexy communication with an under-18, because at his news conference, he admitted it was a possibility and that was enough. Him admitting the possibility was sufficient to end his career. And the White House realizing the possibility was enough to withdraw support.
Of course, it was the aggressive investigation into the (perfectly legal but icky) contact he had that led to the suggestion that he might have been in contact with an under-18.
Has it even been proven that Anthony Weiner ever sent an inappropriate sex message to a real person under 18?
I am under the impression that some of the “girls” might not have been real people, and that the messages he did send to people known to be under 18 were not of a sexual nature (but were still inappropriate because we don’t want a 40-year-old dude being close friends with a 17-year-old in high school). Those are just my impressions. I know you’ve personally been very involved in this investigation and maybe you can correct me if I’m wrong.
Daryl Herbert (d85727) — 4/24/2012 @ 6:52 amI went into the hospital, with heart palpatations and elevated blood pressure. I talked lawyer in the ER but to the cardiologist, who gave me a
nk (875f57) — 4/24/2012 @ 7:03 amheart attackstress test, I “admitted the possibility” that I had been on a drinking binge since April 11.Daryl,
Read the links for all the illumination I can offer. “Five is not two” is particularly instructive, I think.
nk,
I’m not sure quite what to make of that comment, but it has me concerned.
Patterico (feda6b) — 4/24/2012 @ 7:06 amDaryl,
Some child molesters snatch a child and throw it in their car, and some creep up on them real slow, establishing a relationship of trust and, then, dominance. Sandusky, at Penn State, is a perfect example of the second case.
nk (875f57) — 4/24/2012 @ 7:07 amThis is the story that got me hooked on Patterico dot com in the first place. I was a frequenter of Lee’s blog, and he linked you on this story.
Ghost (ee3968) — 4/24/2012 @ 7:08 amWeiner was such trash. You, Ace, Lee, and of course Breitbart should have all got metals or the key to the city for exposing that prick (bad pun). You guys are heroes… Like with tights and cape shlt.
I’m fine, Patterico. If I drink too much and then stop, I get the shakes. That’s all. My point, in the comment was, I did not want all that many people to know, especially in the ER where patients are only separated by curtains.
nk (875f57) — 4/24/2012 @ 7:11 amDaryl’s “admitted the possibillity” is what prompted me.
nk (875f57) — 4/24/2012 @ 7:19 amGreat post, Patterico, and I’m looking forward to more on this.
Daryl’s right. Weiner’s own answers do the most damage to his reputation. For anyone who actually cares about Weiner’s career being ruined, they should take that up with Weiner himself.
Initially I saw this as a minor story about yet another politician who didn’t measure up. Another story about how DC changes people for the worse. You crack a few jokes at the politician’s expense and move on to more important stories. Weiner gets replaced with another politician who will probably do something stupid, providing another week of mockery. Whoop dee doo.
That’s not how it worked out. This post helps me understand why things played out so harshly for many good people. A desperate bid to shut down coverage of a story. I guess the other side sees this as the unfair consequences of a dirty trick campaign, and assumes the worst of those who simply covered the story.
Revealing the truth will trigger a new round of character assassination. Sigh.
Dustin (330eed) — 4/24/2012 @ 7:41 amIt’s perfectly true the underage communications is what sent his career to the guillotine. That said, he would not have been put in positions of trust once his habits became widely known and not mere backchannel rumor.
SarahW (b0e533) — 4/24/2012 @ 7:53 amBecause what he proved most of all is that he was a slave to impulse and very, very indiscreet – not just a jerk.
SarahW (b0e533) — 4/24/2012 @ 7:54 amCareer guillotine vs. Career starvation is how it worked out, and everyone is better off for it. Even Weiner.
SarahW (b0e533) — 4/24/2012 @ 7:55 amSarah, great observations. Weiner was shown to be reckless and indiscrete. This both helps understand why this scandal matters and perhaps why things played out recklessly after Weiner resigned.
Dustin (330eed) — 4/24/2012 @ 7:55 amI see, NK “admitting the possibility” is a just a hedgy way of saying “yes that totally happened.”
SarahW (b0e533) — 4/24/2012 @ 7:57 amThis should create a blizzard of asshattery from the usual suspects.
JD (3f8982) — 4/24/2012 @ 8:03 amI hope the book sells very well, gets many on-line and dead tree reviews, and that the author does publicity book tour stops in every city, town and hamlet in America. Over this election- year summer the reminders to voters of recent Democrat pol scandals via a combo of the Democrat Edwards’ trial and the Democrat Weiner’s skeeviness (as documented in the book) will be very fun to watch.
Republican war on women, indeed.
elissa (e2c8cd) — 4/24/2012 @ 8:13 amand somewhere Breitbart
Colonel Haiku (d22b1f) — 4/24/2012 @ 8:29 amsleeps the sleep of the just and
his legacy reigns
Who cares what was the final straw?
Just be grateful that it existed.
Gone – and soon to be forgotten (but not soon enough).
AD-RtR/OS! (7aa479) — 4/24/2012 @ 8:32 amBarbara Walters clawing for excuses for Weiner’s behavior on “The View” is one of the most shameful, embarrassing moments in television history.
“Maybe he meant the picture for his wife! Maybe his wife drove him to cheat! Maybe a group of highly trained gophers sent by Republicans did a synchronized dance under Weiner’s house which made his iPod send the picture!”
CrustyB (69f730) — 4/24/2012 @ 8:32 amnk – Take care. You want a visitor talk to me through Patterico. Not sure I have the right email.
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 4/24/2012 @ 8:41 amI always found the Weiner story somewhat surreal; I mean, I really don’t care about someone tweeting racy pictures of themselves. Unless they’re a diplomat, it’s basically irrelevant to their capacity to do their job, and as long as they’re not doing it from a .gov account, it seems like an irrelevant personal peccadillo. Moreover, in NYC, there was no general anger at Weiner over it, and his popularity was basically unhurt. So why resign?
It makes a lot more sense if he was pressured to resign because he’d been involved with a minor and the party leadership was afraid of a scandal.
aphrael (5d993c) — 4/24/2012 @ 9:13 amThe weinertweet story is not 1/100th as interesting as the fallout in the aftermath. I cannot wait for Patterico to be able to tell that story.
JD (3f8982) — 4/24/2012 @ 9:20 amAph,
His wife is the personal assistant to the secretary of state. You remember the Russian spies? This is what they do. They find weak egotistical men and give them the ole honeypot scheme. You think he wouldn’t have caved to blackmail had the right person used his activities against him? At best, he would have to pay some money. At worst, he’s handing over state secrets to keep the secret hush hush.
That’s the only reason why anyone should care about the sexual proclivities of elected officials.
Ghost (b22650) — 4/24/2012 @ 9:26 amThank you, daleyrocks. My current email is on my site, now, under profile, that picture of a sorrel on the right hand side. But I’m fine. I’m looking to buy a home around the Riverside/Berwyn area. We can have brunch at ChooChoo. I don’t drink in public so I can be the designated driver? 😉
nk (875f57) — 4/24/2012 @ 9:30 amIMO always care about reckless vanity in a politician. Sexual indiscretions that indicate either matter.
Character is character, and he has a bad one.
SarahW (b0e533) — 4/24/2012 @ 9:51 amSarahW, it would only be bad if he actually had any.
AD-RtR/OS! (d17eb3) — 4/24/2012 @ 10:24 am“I don’t drink in public”
nk – Good move. Isolation drinking is always better, plus you can avoid arrests for public intoxication if you play your cards right. Bonus!
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 4/24/2012 @ 11:58 amImagine the things Weiner did that we didn’t find out about.
DRJ (a83b8b) — 4/24/2012 @ 12:51 pmThanks, DRJ. I had tried to not imagine those things.
JD (a2bda9) — 4/24/2012 @ 12:58 pmYou’re welcome, JD.
DRJ (a83b8b) — 4/24/2012 @ 1:19 pmYa know in that Simpsons episode when Sidehow Bob married one of the evil sisters, and she tells him she’s ready for her foot massage? That shudder is what I just did imagining the things Weiner got away with.
Ghost (988839) — 4/24/2012 @ 1:21 pmMy mind’s eye, it is bleeding.
JD (a2bda9) — 4/24/2012 @ 1:28 pm#42 — OMG! I think I may be sick.
Bill M (e0a4e5) — 4/24/2012 @ 4:10 pmI think Weiner is a pedophilic pervert, but then I’m thinking of Spitzer and Billyboy. Why do men who have steak and lobster at home go rooting in garbage cans for leftover bites of Big Macs? Huma, what a waste she did picking this creep.
nk (875f57) — 4/24/2012 @ 4:17 pmNk – theory is he’s a developmentally arrested not-ready-to-be-gay guy who is gay with a narcissitic overlay, and fixated his Johnson
Sarahw (b0e533) — 4/24/2012 @ 4:25 pm> At worst, he’s handing over state secrets to keep the secret hush hush.
Only if his wife is sharing those state secrets with him, which she shouldn’t be.
aphrael (25c3ae) — 4/24/2012 @ 6:14 pmShe probably brings work home, and she has to sleep sometime.
AD-RtR/OS! (d17eb3) — 4/24/2012 @ 6:49 pmAnd even if that’s true, it doesn’t really speak to Weiner’s fitness as a Congressman. The risk he poses through his wife is there whether he holds elective office or works at 7-11.
aphrael (25c3ae) — 4/24/2012 @ 7:04 pmNk – theory is he’s a developmentally arrested not-ready-to-be-gay guy who is gay with a narcissitic overlay, and fixated his Johnson
Comment by Sarahw
you can call it many things, Sarah… but ya doesn’t has to call it Johnson!
Colonel Haiku (d22b1f) — 4/24/2012 @ 7:11 pmAphrael, with all due respect, your point is historically inaccurate. There have been a number of politicians who get embroiled in tawdry affairs and blackmailed—sometimes by “honeypot” style spies.
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2010/12/the_spy_who_said_she_loved_me.html
An arrogant and twisted person like Weiner would have easily leaked information to avoid embarrassment. There were certainly shenanigans involved with his situation.
I agree that folks should be able to live their lives as they choose—but Weiner should have been open about his, well, weiner.
Simon Jester (b4ba0a) — 4/24/2012 @ 7:41 pmRonald Dahl, author of childrens books like Matilda and Charlie an the Chocolate Factory was also a British spy who honey potted a Senators wife to get support for the war.
It happens. And that Weiner was too horny/narcissistic to care speaks volumes.
No one is invulnerable. Elected officials are even more vulnerable. That’s why character matters.
Ghost (6f9de7) — 4/24/2012 @ 7:51 pmGhost, if you haven’t read Dahl’s, um, mature fiction, it’s worth your time. His collection “Switch Bitch” is interesting. “The Visitor” is a great story.
Simon Jester (b4ba0a) — 4/24/2012 @ 7:57 pmGhost,
And the right is equally vulnerable, we shouldn’t forget that. And although the right appears to have a stronger moral code they stand on – or attempt to – this can be more problematic when they fall. It opens them to greater attacks on their hypocrisy and sanctimonious judgment of others. It’s sure a two-edged sword.
Dana (4eca6e) — 4/24/2012 @ 8:02 pmI think it would be simpler, Dana, if politicians had more ethics and higher standards for themselves. But the system essentially selects for narcissists and egomaniacs. Sadly.
Simon Jester (b4ba0a) — 4/24/2012 @ 8:09 pmSimon,
Truly one who believes themselves to be the very best person, out of millions, to lead the country as its president, requires massive amounts of ego from the get-go. Even with the best of them.
Dana (4eca6e) — 4/24/2012 @ 8:18 pmTrue enough, Dana. But then I think about Bill Clinton. All he needed to do was keep his trousers zipped (to be inelegant). In exchange, he could be one of the most important people on the planet. And he besmirched the office and nearly lost his job.
I’ll take boring, I think, in leaders for a while. Hopefully other Americans agree.
Simon Jester (b4ba0a) — 4/24/2012 @ 8:21 pmEnsign, Sanford, Vitter, yes we;re aware they can
narciso (8d0f34) — 4/24/2012 @ 8:25 pmbe as hypocritical as Mellor and company.
Only if his wife is sharing those state secrets with him, which she shouldn’t be.
Comment by aphrael — 4/24/2012 @ 6:14 pm
— Huma knows “state secrets”? Like what . . . Secretary Cankles ends each day with bon-bons soaked in bourbon? Bill never travels with her? She spent part of her time in Kenya searching for her boss’s real birth certificate? What???
Icy (84ebe4) — 4/25/2012 @ 3:32 amEvery memo she receives from the White House instructs her to bow & apologize?
She knows what’s really going on in Area 51?
She put the lime in the coconut? (and Yes, that IS a euphemism)
Icy (84ebe4) — 4/25/2012 @ 3:57 amIs “Pulling a Weiner” now a double entendre?
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 4/25/2012 @ 9:50 amLet him pull what he may now, he’s lost his celebrity appeal and can do little enough harm now.
As an aside (this thread seems somehow suitable)
You may remember a social profile of Nadia Milhouse (Naffe) had been altered with the profile of a non-existent person and a stolen stock photo (I presume to disguise it as her own.)
I had mentioned I wrote the photographer to give her a heads up on the potential misuse of her photo.
Well now the lovely hispanic woman portrait photo is no more. It’s been replaced with yet another stock photo by a different photographer
(Catherine Yeulet of Monkey Business images) featuring three generations of hispanic women – one about “Nadia Milhouse’s” age – similar in appearance to the first (though not the same model).
http://www.bostonypa.com/profile/NadiaMilhouse?xg_source=activity
Why not simply delete the profile?
Strange business.
*A search on the “new” name revealed no such person with that name or a hyphenated name, and no teaching license under that name or any version of it in Massachusetts.
If she had ever been licensed to teach anywhere, it would be almost impossible for the name not to show up in a nationwide search.
SarahW (33ef3a) — 4/25/2012 @ 1:25 pmThis isn’t just an isolated incident and the rabbit hole goes deeper than just, “Hey I didn’t know she was underage”. Just Google Dyncorp child sex trafficking. Even just recently Mitt Romney’s wife Ann was invested in Goldman Sachs’ sex trafficking fund.
These are some sick politicians and corporations. No wonder why our world is in the shape it’s in.
Truth Intel (8628f9) — 4/26/2012 @ 2:01 am