Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Preibus became the first GOP official to say Congressman Anthony Weiner should step down in the wake of his admission that he was involved in inappropriate messaging with several women online. Preibus said in a statement Tuesday, “We do not need an investigation to know he lied and acted inappropriately. We need a resignation.”
Some Republicans are seizing on the Weiner scandal as a 2012 campaign issue, framing it as a potential liability for Democrats.
The National Republican Congressional Committee issued a statement yesterday, targeting 17 House Democrats who had received campaign donations from Congressman Weiner, calling it “tainted money.” Two of those Democrats have already said they would not use the campaign money and instead plan to donate it to charity.
Meanwhile, some Democrats are distancing themselves from Weiner. Former DNC Chairman Tim Kaine called Weiner’s actions “unforgivable” and called on him to resign.
And according to officials, Nancy Pelosi was upset that Weiner waited until just 15 minutes before his news conference Monday to tell her that his Twitter account had not been hacked. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was one of the few Democrats to address the scandal yesterday on Capitol Hill. He said, “I know Congressman Weiner. I wish there was some way I could defend him, but I can't.” When Reid was asked what advice he would offer Weiner if he asked and responded, “Call someone else.”