WASHINGTON — The wife of disgraced Rep. Anthony Weiner arrived at her Washington, D.C. apartment early today, triggering what could be the endgame in her husband’s political career.
Huma Abedin — who is an aide to Hillary Clinton and reportedly pregnant — has returned from a week-long trip to Africa with the Secretary of State and is expected to meet with her husband Wednesday, Fox News Channel reported.
Weiner has said repeatedly that he would not make a decision about whether to remain in office until he had spoken to his wife face-to-face.
This comes as the National Enquirer published photos today of Weiner wearing lingerie as part of a college prank in 1982.
The photos, taken by a college friend when Weiner was 18, show his reputation at the State University of Plattsburgh as a flamboyant figure.
In recent days, a growing chorus of Democrats — including President Obama — and Republicans have pushed for Weiner’s resignation in the wake of revelations that he conducted online sexual relationships with six women.
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House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told Democrats at a caucus meeting Tuesday that Weiner should go.
“I wanted to be sure that [the caucus] knew why I came to the conclusion that — with the love of his family, the confidence of his constituents and the need for help — that congressman Weiner should resign from the Congress,” Pelosi told reporters.
In another blow, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) broke his silence on the controversy, responding with a one-word answer — “Yes” — when reporters asked whether Weiner should quit at a press conference with House Republican leadership on Capitol Hill.
Obama also spoke out on the scandal for the first time Monday.
“I can tell you that if it was me, I would resign,” Obama told Ann Curry in an interview that aired Tuesday morning on NBC’s “Today.”
Weiner, who has so far rejected calls for his resignation, was granted a two-week paid leave of absence from Congress on Monday, as the House Ethics Committee began investigating whether he improperly used government resources to conduct his online dalliances.
The scandal seems to have taken its toll on Weiner’s popularity not only among his fellow public leaders but also among voters nationwide.
A new survey released Tuesday by Democratic-aligned firm Public Policy Polling showed that 70 percent of US voters have an unfavorable opinion of Weiner, compared to just eight percent with a positive one.
A strong 60 percent of voters also said they think he should resign, while 25 percent said he should stay in office and 15 percent did not offer an opinion.
With Newscore