Anthony Weiner, a Democrat who served as a congressman in New York from 1999 until he resigned in 2011 after it was reported he had sent sexually explicit photos of him in undershorts covering his privates to different women.
He apologized and vowed he would change his ways.
He didn’t.
What a weiner.
Yes, his real name is Weiner.
(Insert your own joke).
Weiner’s only connection to Donald Trump, the Republican candidate for president in 2016, was his wife, Huma Abedin was a longtime aide to Trump’s opponent, Hillary Clinton.
As it turned out, one sexual deviant may have contributed to the election of another sexual deviant to become president.
CNN began a story on May 19, 2017:
“Anthony Weiner sexted a 15-year-old and Donald Trump won the White House.”
“There is an undeniable through-line between the investigation into Weiner’s proclivity to sending lewd message via text,” the CNN story said, “on this occasion victimizing a teenage student, and Trump’s 2016 victory.
Here it goes:
In January 2023, an underaged girl contacts Weiner on Twitter and the two engage in a relationship, where Weiner sends her “sexually explicit material,” CNN reported.
On July 5, 2016, FBI Director James Comey announced there was not enough evidence to charge Clinton or her staff for any crimes relating to the handling of classified information during her time as secretary of state during the Barack Obama Administration.
On September 22, 2016, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara in New York began investigating allegations that Weiner – the husband of Huma Abedin — been involved in a sexting relationship with a minor.
On October 28, 2016, Comey tells Congress that new information from a separate investigation – that is, the investigation into Weiner’s sexting — prompts the FBI to reopen the Clinton investigation into Clinton’s treatment of classified information.
On October 30, 2016, FBI obtains a search warrant for Weiner’s computer in order to look for information related to Clinton’s time as secretary of state. This forces the issue of Clinton’s handling of classified information back into the public a little more than a week before the Presidential Election.
On November 6, 2016, Comey announces that there was no evidence on the computer found that should lead to any charges for Clinton or her staff.
According to CNN, if not for the investigation into Weiner’s sexting, it is possible that criticisms of Clinton’s handling of classified information would have faded and she would have won the presidential election.
In 2017, Weiner pleaded guilty to transferring obscene material to a 15-year-old girl and was sentenced to 21 months in prison. Upon his release from prison, he was required to register as a sex offender.
Weiner and Abedin divorced in 2017.