Anthony Weiner's emotional mea culpa: Will it be enough?
In a tearful press conference Monday, the New York Democrat admits that he lied about sending an underwear photo on Twitter, and cops to a number of other online infidelities

The video: Finally, the truth comes out. In an emotional press conference Monday, Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) admitted to online relationships with six women over the last three years. (See the video below.) Though Weiner has been hounded by reporters for more than a week over a crotch shot of a man's bulging underwear sent from his Twitter account to a Seattle coed, he's repeatedly insisted a hacker was responsible. But on Monday, more inappropriate photos and damning claims surfaced, and Weiner came clean. "I have made terrible mistakes that have hurt the people that I cared about the most, and I am terribly sorry," he said. A "visibly shaken and tearful" Weiner refused to resign, however, saying that he didn't break any laws or congressional rules. Weiner said he never met any of the women in question (the closest he got was talking on the phone), and that he and his wife, Huma Abedin, an aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, will stay together. In a "bizarre" twist before Weiner even took the stage, conservative provocateur Andrew Breitbart, whose Big Government website has driven the Weiner expose, grabbed the mic, berated Weiner, and claimed that he still has an as-yet-unpublished "X-rated" image of the congressman.
The reaction: "Clearly the lying congressman hopes to continue his political career," says Thomas Lifson at American Thinker. But Weiner, a well-known berater of Republicans, can’t possibly keep serving as the Democrats' "attack dog." Hold on, says David Dayen at Firedoglake. It sounds like Weiner is a sexting enthusiast who operated from "some basement computer in his house." I'm not sure he has to resign over that. Agreed, says Steve Benen at Washington Monthly. "On the Political Sex Scandal Richter Scale," this barely registers. "He didn’t commit adultery (Ensign), he didn’t hire prostitutes (Vitter), he didn’t solicit anyone in an airport bathroom (Craig), he didn’t pretend to be someone else in order to try to pick up women (Lee), he didn’t abandon his office for a rendezvous with his lover (Sanford), he didn’t leave his first two wives after they got sick (Gingrich), and he didn’t have a child with his housekeeper (Schwarzenegger)." Watch Weiner's mea culpa:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The best shows to see at Edinburgh Fringe 2025
The Week Recommends The world's biggest arts festival is back with an incredible line-up
-
Wonsan-Kalma: North Korea's new 'mammoth' beach resort
Under the Radar Pyongyang wants to boost tourism but there won't be many foreign visitors to Kim Jong Un's 'pet project'
-
The 5 best TV reboots of all time
The Week Recommends Finding an entirely new cast to play beloved characters is harder than it looks
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidents
The Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
The JFK files: the truth at last?
In The Spotlight More than 64,000 previously classified documents relating the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy have been released by the Trump administration
-
'Seriously, not literally': how should the world take Donald Trump?
Today's big question White House rhetoric and reality look likely to become increasingly blurred
-
Will Trump's 'madman' strategy pay off?
Today's Big Question Incoming US president likes to seem unpredictable but, this time round, world leaders could be wise to his playbook
-
Democrats vs. Republicans: which party are the billionaires backing?
The Explainer Younger tech titans join 'boys' club throwing money and support' behind President Trump, while older plutocrats quietly rebuke new administration
-
US election: where things stand with one week to go
The Explainer Harris' lead in the polls has been narrowing in Trump's favour, but her campaign remains 'cautiously optimistic'
-
Is Trump okay?
Today's Big Question Former president's mental fitness and alleged cognitive decline firmly back in the spotlight after 'bizarre' town hall event
-
The life and times of Kamala Harris
The Explainer The vice-president is narrowly leading the race to become the next US president. How did she get to where she is now?