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They may not be the most revealing photos — but they could be the most damning.
Sex-crazed Rep. Anthony Weiner’s newest slew of beefcake shots, taken in the House gym and sent to at least one woman, give ethics investigators bombshell evidence of official misconduct, insiders told The Post.
“That’s what the House ethics committee will look at,” former House historian Ray Smock said about the 11 steamy self-portraits that made the rounds on the Web yesterday.
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“Earlier, he said he was using his private cellphone camera. In this case, he may have been using his private camera, but he was doing it in a very, very public place — the House gym,” Smock said about the taxpayer-funded facility.
That means Weiner may be in violation of the House Code of Official Conduct’s so-called “golden rule,” requiring that members “behave at all times in a manner that shall reflect creditably on the House,” he said.
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A Capitol Hill insider charged that the new, semi-nude photos snapped inside the federal facility were “photographic evidence” that Weiner brought dishonor to the institution and used it to carry on his salacious online affairs.
“It was inappropriate. It was stupid,” the source said about the shots obtained by TMZ.com.
Weiner’s use of the official gym could very well seal his fate, added the House counsel who successfully prosecuted Harlem Rep. Charlie Rangel for ethics violations.
“The shortest path into this [ethics investigation] is to focus on misuse of official resources and abuse of power. Its the cleanest way,” said Blake Chisam, who is now in private practice.
Fed up with Weiner’s antics, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi called for a rare ethics-committee investigation shortly after he admitted to the cybersex affairs at a blubbering press conference a week ago.
Pelosi — who with other top Dems have demanded that Weiner resign — said she’ll rely on the result of the investigation to determine if he should be disciplined.
Currently, House rules don’t address the misuse of social media such as Twitter or Facebook, which Weiner used to carry on his salacious online antics.
The 11 tawdry photos unveiled yesterday show Weiner taking pictures of himself by aiming his BlackBerry into mirrors at the gym in the Rayburn House Office Building.
Weiner is seen in one full-frontal shot grabbing his groin and using only a white towel as a paltry cover.
Another shows him in gym gloves grabbing his crotch, while others show him grimacing as if he were mid-workout.
It wasn’t clear who received the photos. Weiner has admitted to sending sleazy messages to at least six women.
The scandal led the randy representative to check in to an undisclosed rehab facility over the weekend.
But some believe the rehab promise is nothing more than Weiner delaying the inevitable — his resignation.
One source who has worked with Weiner told The Post his trusted insiders are telling him it’s over.
“Taking a leave and going to rehab is an effort to reduce the heat and save his career in Congress — he’s buying time,” the source said.
He added that if it doesn’t work, Weiner “is cognizant resignation could be the only option left.”
Additional reporting by S.A. Miller