More bad news for Weiner: Campaign manager quits
(CNN) - Days after Anthony Weiner admitted to lewd chats with women online, his campaign manager quit, Weiner and his campaign said Sunday.
Danny Kedem's departure is the latest sign Weiner's New York City mayoral bid is struggling amid allegations of online sexual impropriety. After the chats and photographs became public Tuesday, a poll showed him dropping to second place among Democratic candidates for mayor and his favorable numbers plummeting.
"Danny has left the campaign," Weiner told CNN affiliate NY1. "He did a remarkable job."
Praising the "excellent staff" remaining in his organization, Weiner said more volunteers had flocked to his bid in the last few days than at any point since his campaign began.
"This isn't about the people working on the campaign, it's about the people that we're working for," he said.
Kedem, a 31-year-old operative who previously worked for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, declined comment in an e-mail to CNN.
Weiner first acknowledged Tuesday that he did not stop sending raunchy online chats to women when he left Congress in 2011. That resignation was prompted by allegations from several women that Weiner had sent them lewd photographs of himself.
Speaking at a news conference Thursday, the Democrat said he couldn't say for sure how many more women might come forward.
"There are a few. I don't have a specific number for you," Weiner said.
Pressed to provide a guess as to how many online relationships occurred after his resignation, Weiner said, "I don't believe I had any more than three."
He has resisted calls from his rivals to withdraw from the mayor's race, saying the decision of whether he's trustworthy enough for the job should be up to voters.
His chief rival for the Democratic nomination, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, stopped short of calling for his withdrawal from the mayor's race Sunday but lambasted his actions as generating further distrust in government.
"I think it's become very clear that former Congress member Weiner has a pattern of reckless behavior, an inability to tell the truth and a real lack of maturity and responsibility," Quinn said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "I don't think he should be mayor, and I think voters, if he stays in the race, will make that very clear."
On Friday, Weiner indicated he may stop answering questions altogether about his online relationships.
"There's going to reach a point fairly soon that I'm going to say I think I've said enough about it, and I'm going to keep just talking about other things," he told reporters on Staten Island.
CNN's Chris Kokenes and Ashley Killough contributed to this report.
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He has one of the most unfortunate last names in the history of politicians...lol
Why when politicians are guilty of something, you post pictures of them with their lips inside their mouths? It's boring and out of date since Clinton gaffe.
Someone who is DISHONEST in his (her) relationship is also DISHONEST at their place of work. Don't ever believe that BS about your private life has nothing to do with your public life; the CHARACTER of a person is the same ALL of the time.
@ Paul ... Yes, most men (in general) like to "talk dirty" to females. There is one difference however, someone who has integrity and honor would not do or act like A.W. continues to do (apparently). I have good ideas and at least am semi-intelligent.
This is about the content of this person's character. A.W. cannot seem to avoid the temptation of the opposite sex. This is a HUGE character flaw that should no be overlooked.
Oh, if only I never had to hear the name Anthony Weiner again in my life...what a disgrace.
So with all of the ridiculous drama going on he's only dropped to 2nd place? The Dems have high standards in NY...
Big scandal acoming with his wife working on the US payroll while working
as a an private adviser to the tune of 350 thousand dollars in her pocket, cool!
No wonder they can live in a fancy condo . Where's Hillary on this one.
I am a Democrat myself so don't start yelling Conservative at me .
Let the electoral process work. Weiner's candidacy will go down in flames and hopefully we won't hear from him again.
What is really troublesome are the "so what" comments. I guess if you really don't know then attempting to explain it to you would be a waste of time. On the positive sign, at least it didn't happen in the White House (again).
The guy us a harassment risk for he city. Besides, who would be proud to have a guy like this running their city?
I guess Danny has seen enough.......................that was too easy but still funny
San Diego voters had all the warning signs their mayor had sexual issues but chose to separate them from his "work". Well now the city faces millions in losses due to law suits because of sexual issues. Ny Faces the same with this guy only worse. This is the modern day version of the naked guy in a trench coat, flashing young girls he does not know. He is a pervert.. BUYER beware.
"A guy who has good ideas and in most ways would appear a prime candidate for a public office would be rejected,"
Except that he has terrible ideas and didn't pass any good legislation ever. If he did have good ideas, like say Giuliani, then it would be tolerated once. In fact the main problem with Weiner is that this is his second time being busted.
I can understand why Paul may think this is "The hypocrisy of the US in general at its best" however I consider a man that was forced to resign from public office because of this problem and then runs for another public office and is caught doing the exact same thing, shows an extreme lack of good judgment.
The guy can have all the good ideas in the world but when he humiliates his beautiful intelligent wife like he does it turns off the electorate.
.
"The hypocrisy of the US in general at its best"
Or the idea of electing a man who finds it so easy to lie to the very people he intends to represent is considered a bad sign of things to come. People were obviously willing to believe he had changed and now they have proof he lied to his wife and us. I am a liberal democrat and I want this guy gone.
Weiner needs to wait it out. Hes so right for NYC.
Paul,
The problem is that it is difficult to support a man – great ideas or not – who lies and is seemingly unconcerned about the pain he has inflicted on the very persons who invested their trust in him. If he can do this, what else can he do? This isn't so much about casting stones ... it is about a loss of faith in him. His apparent lack of judgement and self control – speaks volumes regarding his character.
A campaign manager sells, but how in the world can anyone be expected to sell a car without brakes or a steering wheel? Would you get into a car like that? If you are buying it as a fixer-upper – be prepared to spend too much money and give more time on the 'project' before it can actually take you anywhere.
Business is business and it is STILL a buyer's market. It's just that simple.
Yes, there is a lot of hypocrisy in this country – as in most – however, ours is still worth defending.
US hypocrisy... hope some one changes the laws that leaking such private information is illegal. Again the religious fanatics would start saying this is sin and he needs o be kicked out... in real it is a sin to be a politician because you will have to make one side angry all the time....
He was doing good as a politician but we dont care for that....
One of our greatest founding fathers was also slammed by the press for his personal affairs. AND he lied about them.
I'd be more concerned over the job he does in office than whether or not he's talking dirty to someone online.
In 1802 the journalist James T. Callender, after being refused an appointment to a Postmaster position by Jefferson and issuing veiled threats of "consequences", reported that Jefferson had fathered several children with a slave concubine named Sally. His family denied the allegation. Others privately or publicly made the claim.[12] Elijah Fletcher, the headmaster of the New Glasgow Academy (Amherst County, Virginia) visited Jefferson in 1811 and wrote in his diary:
"The story of black Sal is no farce — That he cohabits with her and has a number of children by her is a sacred truth — and the worst of it is he keeps the same children slaves — an unnatural crime which is very common in these parts."[13]
Jefferson made no public comment on the matter, although most historians interpret his cover letter from 1805 to Secretary of the Navy Robert Smith as a denial alluding to a more full reply, which has been lost.[14]
The Jefferson-Wayles descendants and most historians denied for nearly 200 years that he was the father of Hemings' children. Disagreements have arisen since the late 20th century over how to interpret historical evidence related to the issue. According to an 1868 letter by Jefferson biographer Henry Randall to the historian James Parton, Jefferson's grandson, Thomas Jefferson Randolph, said that Jefferson's daughter, Martha, stated on her deathbed that Jefferson had been away from Monticello for 15 months before one of Hemings' children was born, so could not be the father. Randolph also observed:
"she [Hemings] had children which resembled Mr. Jefferson so closely that it was plain that they had his blood in their veins.... He [Randolph] said in one instance, a gentleman dining with Mr. Jefferson, looked so startled as he raised his eyes from the latter to the servant behind him, that his discovery of the resemblance was perfectly obvious to all."[
The man has no skills other than an extremely loud and obnoxious mouth. He is arrogant and rude, and that's before the scandal. He can't do anything but live off our dime and wasn't even man enough to shield his wife and family from his freaky borderline pedophile tendencies. He had to showcase how his wife has forgiven him which made her look weak and helpless. What a joke of a man.
He lied. Do we need another politician who lies?
I certainly believe that people should act morally right and I certainly believe certain things are sinful on the other hand I think this guy should be left alone and allowed to do what he wants to do. He has suffered enough and so has his wife and they put their best foot forward so that is good for me. The most important reason is that there's no reason to cast the stone at them all the people complaining have sinned and do things that are immoral let the guy alone to do his job if we stop people from working because they did something wrong we stop friends from being friends because they did something wrong this society would be empty. If you look at the true history the presidents of United States they had more problems and issues than regular people.... Drunks womanizers liars cruelty abusers etc. etc. People should be elected based upon their civic plans and service not based upon their lusts or sins. To be fair to this candidate we would have to know the dirt on the other candidates to balance out who's more sinful. Yet we not electing people based upon how immoral or moral they are.
What he did wasn't illegal, it was immoral. And voters vote with their morals. And I'm not sure that's wrong. If a guy can't stop giving into an urge, who's to say that unmeasured nature won't seep into other aspects of his life or leadership? No one.
It's not that he has done something that 'most of these people would secretly enjoy just as much'... it's that he completely lacks the judgement and fortitude to STOP in the face of being caught. There is no way such an individual has the proper judgement to lead a city. Oh yes, and he's married. Have we forgotten there should be some integrity in such a commitment?