Newser causes more trouble for Rep. Anthony Weiner (Byron York weighs in)

After retaining legal counsel in a case in which a lewd photo was sent from his Twitter account to a 21 year-old female college student, New York Rep. Anthony Weiner says he will no longer answer questions about the matter. The matter has become a "distraction," the outspoken Democrat told reporters Tuesday, and he intends to spend his time working on congressional matters and not answering questions about what has become known in furious Internet speculation as "Weinergate."

In a performance that might please a defense attorney but would make a public relations consultant cringe, Weiner, who has said his Twitter account was "hacked" and also that he was the victim of a "prank," one-by-one refused to answer six of the most pressing questions about the controversy:

You know, look, I'm not going to talk about this any more. I think that if I was giving a speech to 45,000 people, and someone stood up and heckled in the back, I wouldn't spend three days talking to him. I'm going to get back to the conversation I care about.

I've put out a couple statements over the last couple days. I would refer you to those to answer these questions. I understand you're doing your job, but I'm going to go back to work.

I put out a statement about that over the last couple of days. I put out a couple of statements. I mean, I'm trying my best, I've spent a couple of days cooperating and trying to help you do your job, but at a certain point I've got to get back to work and I think we've reached that point today.

I'm not convinced that there's any value any more of me talking about it. I understand you've got to do your job, and I'm going to get back to work. There are some enormously important things, and I believe this has been a distraction. I'm not going to let it be so any more.

I appreciate the questions. I understand you're doing your job but this is now a couple of days later, I've got to finally get back to work and focus on things I want to focus on.

I'm going to return to working on things that I care about. I've participated in the story a couple of days now, given comments on it. This is a distraction and I'm not going to let it distract me.

Near the end of the news conference, a reporter said to Weiner, "This distraction might go away if you answered some of the questions that are out there." A pensive looking Weiner quickly responded: "I'm not convinced of that. I'm not convinced of that."

At the moment, there is no publicly available proof either that Weiner sent the photo or that he was the victim of hackers. Weiner has expressed a desire to "move on." But many members of Congress have Facebook and Twitter accounts, and the possibility that those accounts could be sabotaged by someone seeking to destroy a politcian's career is troubling. For that reason alone, it seems likely that public officials, if not Anthony Weiner himself, will want to know more about what really happened in this case.

http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/opinion-zone/2011/05/rep-weiner-2009-cyber-attacksare-real-and-demand-immediate-action

By Lachlan Markay
Created May 31 2011 - 7:27pm
Rep. Weiner in 2009: ‘Cyber attacks...are real and demand immediate action’

Two years - nearly to the day - before Rep. Anthony Weiner’s Memorial Day weekend was thrown into turmoil by the burgeoning “Weinergate” scandal, the New York Democrat offered some strong words on cyber-security that now carry quite a bit of irony.

For those unfamiliar with the basics of the Weinergate scandal, a photo of a male erection was sent on Friday from Weiner’s verified Twitter account to a 21-year-old Washington State coed. For a quick rundown of the full timeline as of Tuesday morning, check out Jonah Goldberg’s post on the topic.

Weiner, who has refused to initiate an official investigation into what he claims was a criminal “hack” (he later dubbed it a “prank”) into his Twitter account, insisted in May 2009 that “Cyber attacks…are real and demand immediate action.” But he warned against giving a government agency too much power, and called for a “balanced approach” to cyber security.

The New York Daily News reported the Congressman’s statement thusly:

Whoa, there, Mr. President: Let’s be careful with giving the NSA more power, Rep. Anthony Weiner warned today.

That’s in response to President Obama’s move to appoint a cyber-security czar (the plan is after the jump) who Weiner doesn’t want to give up too much civilian control while protecting the country’s information grid.

“Cyber attacks — both foreign and domestic — are real and demand immediate action,” Weiner said. “But we need a balanced approach. It is important that we don’t give too much authority to a government agency that collects information and rarely shares it.”

Weiner’s call to act on cyber threats “immediate[ly]” seems all the more ironic given his hesitancy to involve law enforcement in the scandal that has dominated headlines since the tweet in question was sent on Friday evening.

One congressman, Republican Cliff Stearns of Florida, is even calling for an investigation into the alleged “hacking,” citing the same national security concerns to which Weiner paid lip service two years ago. The Daily Caller reported Tuesday:

“Although this particular incident is a matter for law enforcement, it clearly indicates that hacking is a serious problem and as Chairman it would be appropriate for the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee to examine the issue of cybersecurity to protect our privacy and to ensure our national security,” Stearns said in an email to The Daily Caller.

But previous statements notwithstanding, Weiner was reluctant to involve law enforcement in what, if true, would amount to a fairly serious breach of Congress’s digital security. Even the congressman’s defenders must admit: it doesn’t look good.

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