Rep Weiner Saga Continues
By: Ray Doughty
Updated: June 14, 2011
As the House reconvened on Monday, embattled congressman Anthony Weiner was a no-show at his Capitol Hill office.
For now he's seeking a paid leave of absence to deal with his problems, which are mounting.
Over the weekend TMZ.com released a new batch of photos reportedly taken in a congressional gym.
Weighing in for the first time, the White House called the scandal a distraction.
"His behavior was inappropriate, his dishonesty was inappropriate", says White House spokesman Jay Carney.
Carney, however, stopped short of calling for Weiner's resignation unlike other top democrats such as Nancy Pelosi, who want Weiner and his problems gone.
Without his party behind him, his prospects are dim.
"You can survive, you cannot be effective. The Democratic leadership can take his committee assignments away from him", says Jennifer Palmieri, a Democratic strategist. "They can make life difficult for him."
The congressman was last seen in New York on Saturday while dropping off his dirty laundry.
"I have to redeem myself, and I'm going to try to get back to work", says Weiner.
The congressman himself says any career decisions will have to wait until his pregnant wife - a top State Department aide -- returns from an overseas trip with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
