Former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner told People Magazine in an interview on Friday that he is planning to remain just a stay-at-home dad and not run for mayor of New York. The interview was conducted with Weiner’s wife Huma Abedin, a senior aide to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who was accused by Michelle Bachman of having ties with the Muslim Brothers. (Michelle Bachmann Doubles Down on Muslim Brotherhood Infesting US Government Charge)
Weiner, you’ll recall, is the NY Democrat from New York who resigned from Congress in June of 2011 after lying about tweeting an illicit photo of himself to a young woman.
“I’m very happy in my present life,” Weiner, 47, told People. “The only next dramatic steps I’m planning on are Jordan’s first,” he said, referring to his 6-month-old son.
Abedin also reiterated her support for her husband in the interview and called them “a normal family.”
Maybe. The Wall Street Journal on Friday was asking, if Weiner doesn’t want to be mayor any more, how come his disclosure reports which he recently filed with the New York City Campaign Finance Board are showing he has approximately $4.5 million in the bank?
The WSJ points out that taking into account public matching funds, which are awarded for individual contributions from city residents up to $175, would give Weiner just about $1.5 million in extra cash.
Those funds will expire, the paper emphasizes, unless they’re used in the upcoming election cycle. So what would you do if you were in Weiner’s shoes?
On a personal note – I was heartbroken when the Weiner fiasco brought the skinny, Anthony Perkins in Psycho lookalike congressman was taken down by his own incredible stupidity. Because he was the only individual running for mayor a few years earlier, with a simple solution to New York’s traffic mega-congestion issues: ban trucks from taking shortcuts on Manhattan’s streets.
Now that he’s shown the judgment of a pubescent boy, I’m not so sure any more.
The WSJ quotes Jennifer Lawless, associate professor of government at American University, who says that the resilience of Weiner’s marriage, which didn’t end in divorce despite the guy’s shenanigans, could help persuade voters to trust him.
Except if it turns out he’s been holding on to a solid marriage to a Muslim Brothers sympathizer. I suspect it won’t go over so good in New York.