From the first explicit photos to his denial, resignation from Congress, bid for New York mayor and the latest scandal, here’s a look at former Rep. Anthony Weiner’s last few years in the spotlight:
– July 29, 2010: Weiner, a Democratic congressman from New York, gains national attention for an impassioned speech on the House floor about health care for 9/11 emergency responders. Videos of the speech go viral and catapult Weiner into the public spotlight.
– May 27, 2011: A lewd photo appears briefly on Weiner’s Twitter account. Conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart is first to report the image, which shows the bulging crotch of a man in his underwear.
– May 30, 2011: The congressman tells reporters a hacker got control of his Twitter account. “Look, this is a prank and not a terribly creative one,” Weiner says.
Weiner: “I was hacked. It happens to people. You move on.”
– June 1, 2011: Weiner tells CNN he did not post the picture and has hired a law firm to investigate. He continues to evade the question about whether the photo is of him.
– June 6, 2011: In an abrupt about-face, a tearful Weiner apologizes for having lied about his Twitter account being hacked and admits to having engaged in inappropriate online relationships with several women he met on the Internet, generally on Facebook. He tells reporters he will not resign and does not plan to separate from his wife. “To be clear, the picture was of me, and I sent it,” Weiner says.
Video: Weiner admits to sending lewd photos
– June 9, 2011: CNN learns that Weiner and his wife, Huma Abedin, are expecting their first child. Abedin is an adviser to Hillary Clinton.
– June 11, 2011: Weiner decides he will seek treatment “to focus on becoming a better husband and healthier person” and will ask for a “short leave of absence” from Congress, his spokeswoman says. It was not clear what type of treatment he would undergo.
– June 12, 2011: TMZ publishes photos of Weiner, in various states of undress, which he apparently took of himself in a locker room.
– June 16, 2011: Weiner announces his resignation from Congress to reporters at a senior center in Brooklyn, New York. He apologizes “for the personal mistakes I have made and for the embarrassment I have caused.”
Video: Weiner announces resignation after sexting scandal
– December 21, 2011: Weiner’s wife gives birth to their first child, a boy named Jordan Zain Weiner.
– July 12, 2012: In an interview published by People magazine, Weiner says he has no immediate plans to run for office again.
“I can’t say absolutely that I will never run for public office again, but I’m very happy in my present life,” Weiner said when asked about rumors he might run for New York mayor. “I’m not doing anything to plan a campaign.”
– May 21, 2013: After months of speculation, Weiner announces he is running for mayor of New York City.
“Look, I’ve made some big mistakes and I know I’ve let a lot of people down. But I’ve also learned some tough lessons,” Weiner says in a video posted on his campaign website. “I’m running for mayor because I’ve been fighting for the middle class and those struggling to make it for my entire life. And I hope I get a second chance to work for you.”
Spitzer, Weiner and why New York is talking about sex
– July 23, 2013: A gossip website publishes screen shots of sexual conversations that Weiner allegedly had with a woman last summer.
Hours later, Weiner said some of the explicit online chats took place after his resignation from the U.S. House in 2011.
Abedin, his wife, joined Weiner during the press conference for the first time. She said while her husband has made some “horrible mistakes, both before he resigned from Congress and after,” she was sticking with him.
“What I want to say is I love him, I have forgiven him, I believe in him, and as I have said from the beginning, we are moving forward,” Abedin said.
Has the road to political redemption gotten shorter?
On the same day, Harper’s Bazaar publicized excerpts of an article Abedin wrote for the magazine’s September issue.
“New Yorkers will have to decide for themselves whether or not to give him a second chance,” she wrote. “I had to make that same decision for myself, for my son, for our family. And I know in my heart that I made the right one.”
But the editorial board of The New York Times said Weiner’s problems have marred his mayoral run:
“The serially evasive Mr. Weiner should take his marital troubles and personal compulsions out of the public eye, away from cameras, off the Web and out of the race for mayor of New York City.”
Weiner resists calls to withdraw.
– August 12, 2013: In an interview with Buzzfeed, Weiner says his conduct has hurt Abedin.
“I feel that what I’ve done has hurt her, yeah. It’s hurts her professionally. It’s hurt her personally. We made a decision that these things were behind us and we made a calculated gamble on the question of whether or not citizens would be more interested in their family’s future than in my personal failings that are behind me. She’s gotten roughed up and it’s been completely unfair in my view.”
– September 4, 2013: Weiner gets into a heated exchange at a Brooklyn bakery after Jewish man says that he’s “married to an Arab.” “Look, you’re allowed to say stuff to me,” said Weiner. “But if you’re going to say vile things about me and my family, you should expect that I’m going to go back at you.”
– September 11, 2013: Weiner finishes a distant fifth place in the mayoral race. His campaign imploded after he admitted to having more lewd conversations with women he met on the Internet. Bill de Blasio wins the Democratic nomination.
– June 13, 2014: Weiner apologizes for another misstep on Twitter, the same social media site that’s been at the crux of his political downfall. This time, he “favorited” a tweet labeling the hookup app Tinder as the “ultimate sext machine.” He later apologized for “favoriting” the message saying that he “accidentally hit the star thingy on a @voxdotcom story about Tinder. Sorry.”
– January 15, 2016: The documentary on Weiner’s disastrous 2013 run for New York City mayor debuts at the Sundance Film Festival. “Weiner” chronicles what begins as a redemption story for the disgraced politician. But it descends into tears and, eventually, farce after it is revealed that the conduct leading to Weiner’s initial disgrace continued well after he left Washington, D.C.
– August 29, 2016: Abedin announces separation from Weiner after new reports surfaced that he sent sexually suggestive photos again.
“After long and painful consideration and work on my marriage, I have made the decision to separate from my husband. Anthony and I remain devoted to doing what is best for our son, who is the light of our life. During this difficult time, I ask for respect for our privacy,” Abedin said in a statement.
Abedin was “furious and sickened” by a picture of Weiner and their 4-year-old son, Jordan, according to two people close to the family. Weiner was alleged to have sent a picture of a barechested man with white boxers and a bulge, while a small child is asleep beside him.
Abedin and Weiner had been distant and “heading on a path apart” for a few months, but she was reluctant to leave, according to the two sources close to the family.
On the same day, NY1 cuts ties with Weiner, who was a contributor for the network and a frequent guest on “Inside City Hall.” The New York Daily News, for which Weiner was an occasional columnist, separately said it would no longer run his columns.