Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.), who’s no stranger to the ethics-violation side of political scandal, thinks former Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) should just weather his latest sexting revelation and stay in the mayoral race.
Weiner had an online and phone-sex tryst with a 22-year-old woman through November of last year and reportedly contacted her again in April. New York papers have called for him to drop out of the mayor’s race.
“Weiner’s dishonest, impulse-driven psyche is once more stripped as naked as the images of his texted private parts,” the New York Daily News said in an editorial. “He is not fit to lead America’s premier city. Lacking the dignity and discipline that New York deserves in a mayor, Weiner must recognize that his demons have no place in City Hall.”
“I think the public hasn’t been heard yet really,” Rangel said on MSNBC. “It’s all been newspapers and TV. Nobody that I know understands at all what Anthony Weiner was thinking about.”
“And right now, I think you would agree that we all are concerned about his wife. She’s a brave lady,” he continued. “But as far as him running or not, you know, constitutionally, politically, anyone can run. But knowing New York as I do — and I do know New York — as this is not going to be a story by the time we get to September the 10th.”
Rangel didn’t like the way Weiner’s wife, Huma Abedin, was put at the podium to defend her husband.
“I have seen a lot of things like this in politics, where males have to lean on their wives for support. But I don’t ever recall seeing a wife looking and feeling so sad and embarrassed, because Huma is a very private person, a very delicate, sophisticated person,” he said. “And all the years that I’ve known her, putting her into this political situation, as bright, as intelligent as she is, is very awkward. And my feelings were all for her in terms of what she felt she had to do for her husband. It’s really a sad day.”
Rangel was asked what it could mean for the Democratic Party and the city’s perception if Weiner won.
“Well, someone told me that if it was Weiner, that New York City would get more exposure than we would want,” he said.
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