White House: Weiner scandal "a distraction"

Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., is surrounded by reporters as he arrives at his house in the Queens borough of New York, Thursday, June 9, 2011.

/ AP Photo/Mary Altaffer

Updated: 2:13 p.m. ET

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney on Monday called the scandal surrounding Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., inappropriate and "a distraction from important business," although he stopped short of calling for the resignation of the embattled congressman.

"The president feels, we feel at the White House, this is a distraction, as Congressman Weiner has said himself, his behavior was inappropriate, dishonesty was inappropriate," Carney told reporters on Air Force 1 on the way to North Carolina, where President Obama will make a speech on jobs later this afternoon.

But, he emphasized, Weiner's indiscretions were not Mr. Obama's top concern.

"The president is focused on his job which is getting this economy continuing to grow, creating jobs and ensuring the safety and security of the American people."

Carney added that, to his knowledge, top White House aides were not involved in calling for the resignation of Weiner. When pressed more specifically on whether or not the White House thought he should resign, Carney refrained from making an overt statement.

"I answered that question," Carney responded. "We think it's a distraction from the important business that this president needs to conduct and congress need to conduct. Beyond that I don't have any more comment."

Weiner, who has been the subject of intense scrutiny in recent weeks after the revelation that he had been sending lewd pictures of himself to women, said on Saturday that he would take a leave of absence from Congress to seek professional help, but has so far resisted the increasing calls for his resignation.

Recent reports, however, indicate that he may be considering stepping down after all - particularly in light of the revelation of a new batch of photos, which depict the congressman in various stages of undress at a Capitol Hill gym reserved for the use of House members.

A number of congressional leaders - including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz - have called for his resignation.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor urged Democratic leadership to take action, suggesting they "begin to move...toward things like perhaps stripping him of his" post on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, according to Politico.

"I don't think that we have time for this," Cantor added. "We obviously have a lot of other issues to be concerned with."

New York reps. Carolyn McCarthy (D) and Steve Israel (D) have also called for Weiner to step down, although the state's senators, Democrats Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer, have so far refrained from making that call.

"I am heartbroken," Schumer said in a recent 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."

Gillibrand, too, refrained from calling for Weiner's resignation.

"My heart is with Anthony's wife and family," she said. "My office will work to ensure all the constituents of the 9th congressional District are fully served during any leave of absence by Congressman Weiner."

[GTFOO]

*NEWS* would be when there *hasn't* been a Weiner scandal in Washington. My question is when will the media start reporting on the Weiner we have in the White House?

[justme2012]

OH MY,

What will those below trying to make excuses for Weiner say now that their POTUS has spoken and said Weiner should resign!!!!

[longtree-2009]

obama just needs to be voted out of office. over two years as potus and he has had no focus. he does travel a great deal but never comes back with economic benefits for the usa but guess his focus is vacation, touring, seeking out his roots. won by a landslide because americans thought he was the answer. if what we have isn't working, time to try someone else.

[catmomtx]

And you need to come back to reality and perhaps use Google or some other search engine and educate yourself on what this President has actually accomplished.

[hbevis]

obama has managed to screw thing up really bad at home. He has done more harm than good.........of course that is just my thinking...(-:

[greenlantern1]

Didn't Senator Joseph McCarthy's aide, Roy Cohn, die of AIDS?
Wasn't Senator Alphonse D'Amato a guest for Howard Stern?
Newt Gingrich and Boehner are teachers of morality?
Clifford Spencer

[WillMunny1]

Weiner is a minor distraction compared to the one in the White House who seems to be distracting us from his incompetence and lazyness everyday he is taking up space in the White House!!!

[rmonroe401]

Wow, lazyness. I remember a President in our recent past who was on vacation more than he was leading this country. He took more vacations then the past 5 Presidents combined. I think his name was, hmmmm, it rhymes with mush, now what was his name....

[WillMunny1]

He was on vacation after he was done working. Obama is either on vacation, campaigning or in another country making a fool out of himself. Never in the Oval OfFice working.
I guess those are "working " vacations?

[BCSaugerties]

Who is he seeking treatment from Xaiver Hollander and Heidi Fleiss? Is that covered under the Congressional Health plan that is too good for you and I . Mr Weiner needs to get out of Congress now. He is an embarrassment to the whole country. And if you believe the polls that say he should stay ...Pssst I have a bridge you can buy .... I bet even Hillary and Bill are shaking their heads over this one . The guy is just not wrapped too tight . Just about three fries short of a happy meal

[discussthis]

Weiner gate a distraction?
From day one, 0bummer has said he is focusing like a laser on, and not resting, until jobs and the economy improve. Repeatedly, he has made these statements.
Well, except for "healthcare reform", the Olympics bid, vacation, golf, cap-and-trade, police acting stupidly in Cambridge, State dinners, date nights, vacation, golf, campaign speeches, "summer of recovery" tour, fund raisers, weekly radio broadcasts lying about his successes, vacation, golf, basketball, now these were little distractions from his focus and lack of resting.
Now the campaign is starting up in earnest and he is back to "focusing" on jobs and "not resting" on the economy.
We'll see. He has to push his new jobs training program hard, just another distraction.

[justme2012]

Obama needs glasses he can't focus on anything.

[kcmildcat]

Is Anthony Weiner going to hang in there? Check out "A Day in the Life of Anthony Weiner" on The Loop Now.com. It's all fantasy, because the Congressman likes it that way.
theloopnow.com/?p=8260

[peter_out]

"Weiner's stimulus package?" You people are sick. Well, OK.

[a-col]

My question is why did it take the "Lame-stream" Press 10 days to figure out Weiner was lying when it was so obvious Ray Charles could see? It was this Sicko's incredibly inept attempt to cover-up his obvious stab at "hooking-up" with women.

The dead give-away was when he refused to contacted authorities to launch an investigation after he swore to every TV camera he could find that his Twitter account had been hacked and "someone" was using it to send out lewd pictures which he couldn't say with "certitude" was not of him. Even the "Right Wing Wacko's" laughed when Weiner said "The police had more important things to worry about so he was conducting his own investigation &" They knew what Weiner knew, it's no crime to lie to the press& it's no crime to lie to the public& it's even no crime to lie to your wife, BUT if you lie to the FEDs (even if you're not under oath) you face 3 to 5 years in the big house as Bubba's date to the annual Sadie Hawkins Day Dances - and from the looks of Weiner, he could be the Slammer Homecoming Queen.

And if that wasn't enough, consider the fact Weiner had 54,000+ "Twitter followers." -- BUT Weiner himself ONLY followed 198 Twitter users, most of them young, attractive women including stripper and porn actress Ginger Lee.

I hope the "Lame-stream" press learned a lesson from Weiner-gate. They're gullible!

If you want to know how I really feel about things, check out my Blog at: http://old-soldier-colonel.blogspot.com/