Conservative web publisher Andrew Breitbart said Monday that a second young woman has produced compromising photographs of Rep. Anthony Weiner, the New York Democrat embroiled in an alleged sexting scandal — including a shot of a man's naked torso and another of Weiner sitting beside two cats (captioned "Me and the pussys"). Weiner insisted last week that a crotch-shot of a man in underwear was sent over his Twitter feed as a prank, though he strangely said he couldn't say "with certitude" that the photo wasn't of him. (Meanwhile, Radar.com is reporting that a middle-aged Nevada woman has come forward with tales of phone sex with the congressman.) Weiner is holding a press conference at 4 p.m. Monday. What's the prognosis for his political career?
Weiner is finished: "Weiner could have survived as a laughingstock," says John Hayward at Human Events, if this had remained just a single weird incident. But add additional women to the mix, and he's "in a great deal more jeopardy." The Democratic establishment closed ranks around Weiner, and he's made them look like fools. This could be the end of his "political viability."
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No, Weiner will survive: The reaction so far "has been pretty muted," says Irin Carmon at Jezebel. That's partly because it's Breitbart, a discredited right-wing muckraker, who's pointing fingers. Plus, Weiner's not some hypocritical family-values zealot. He's an advocate for women's rights — so he probably just "has some explaining to do with his wife."
"More Weiner photos are trickling out"
Forget Breitbart's credibility issues. This still hurts: Yes, Breitbart is a "truth-challenged provocateur," says Joe Coscarelli at The Village Voice. But, unlike the photo that started Weinergate, one can say "with certitude" that the man in the cat photo is Anthony Weiner. New questionable photos "don't just dig Weiner's hole deeper — they're like dynamite that could cause the already-shaky walls to crumble."