Metro

Weiner’s mayoral hopes dim as Twit hits the fan

Former Mayor Ed Koch said Rep. Anthony Weiner is in a pickle over Weinergate — and the young mayor wannabe must come clean to save his career.

“It’s not too late to prevent damage by turning [the Twitter case] over to the Capitol police and let them find the hacker,” Koch said yesterday.

But Koch, on his NY1 show Tuesday night, went even further.

“You do commit a crime if you give false information to the police and report a crime when a crime didn’t take place,” he said while discussing possible reasons why the embattled congressman hasn’t filed a police report about the alleged hacking.

“I think he’s in trouble . . . I think he has a problem,” the former mayor added, because of the media firestorm and Weiner’s refusal to immediately answer all questions.

Koch’s statements are a clear warning that Weiner’s long-sought dream of becoming New York’s next mayor may be going up in smoke.

And the longer he waits before admitting the lewd photo that was sent from his Twitter account to a co-ed in Washington state was actually his, the more he endangers his chances in what will be a rough-and-tumble Democratic mayoral primary in 2013, political analysts said.

“He’s got to come clean,” said one veteran consultant who has advised mayoral and gubernatorial candidates.

“As they say, the cover-up is worse than the crime. If it is him [in the lewd photo], playing these crazy games is not going to help him. Voters are going to take a second look at Anthony Weiner and what they see is not going to be pretty.”

Another source said at least one mayoral candidate is already telling potential supporters that Weiner has been severely damaged.

Before the bizarre incident, a poll released in April showed Weiner leading a potential six-candidate pack, with 18 percent of the vote.

Weiner also has the largest campaign war chest, $5.1 million, most left over from an aborted run for City Hall in 2009.

Appearing on MSNBC yesterday, the congressman insisted city voters were smart enough to focus on serious issues and not be distracted.

“I think most of my constituents, people who know me, are able to keep their eyes on the prize,” Weiner said.

But a Democratic political consultant pointed out that some of the areas in Brooklyn and Queens represented by Weiner, such as Forest Hills, are family-oriented and would take a dim view of such sexually charged exchanges.

“Their kids play little league, their girls are in Girl Scouts — they care,” the consultant said.

david.seifman@nypost.com