Pressure mounts on Weiner as new photos emerge

The latest pictures, published by the TMZ gossip news website and allegedly tweeted to at least one woman, show Weiner photographing himself with his cellphone in suggestive positions, including in a towel clutching his crotch.

In a potentially career-ending twist, they also appear to have been taken in the House of Representatives gymnasium, said the report, which suggested this could be the final straw that forces his resignation.

After lying point-blank about his X-rated Internet liaisons for days, even suggesting that hackers had infiltrated his Twitter account, Weiner called a nationally televised press conference on Monday and made a tearful admission.

He said he had been sending pictures online and sexting with six women, but refused to stand down as a New York congressman, saying he had not met any of the women, nor had he had a physical relationship outside his marriage.

By Friday, it appeared that the congressman may have weathered the worst of the storm but it then emerged that he had been exchanging private messages, again through the micro-blogging site Twitter, with a 17-year-old girl.

Although none of the messages were deemed inappropriate by the parents of the high school girl, Democrats appeared to close ranks, and party leaders, including former speaker Nancy Pelosi, called on him to go the following day.

In a bid to save his career, Weiner announced on Saturday that he was taking a "short leave of absence" from Congress to seek treatment.

"Congressman Weiner departed this morning to seek professional treatment to focus on becoming a better husband and healthier person," spokeswoman Risa Heller said in a statement.

But the latest batch of photos, including the fact that he used the House gym as the backdrop for his sexual deviance, appeared to be too much for Democratic leaders.

"This is bizarre, unacceptable behavior," said number two House Democrat Steny Hoyer.

"It seems to me extraordinarily difficult that he can proceed to represent his constituents in an effective way given the circumstances this bizarre behavior has led to," Hoyer told CBS\'s "Face the Nation" program.

"I would hope that Mr. Weiner would use this opportunity to reflect upon whether or not he can effectively proceed. I don\'t see how he can, and I hope he would make that judgment."

Democrats are on the defensive in their handling of the scandal, after Republicans dispatched a GOP lawmaker from New York caught in similar scandal this year within hours after the scandal broke.

Republican Christopher Lee in February was forced by party elders to resign after it emerged that he sent various flirtatious emails to a woman he met on Craigslist.

Lee\'s amorous messages included one in which the married father of a young child flexes his bare chest and arm muscles. But those pictures were mild compared to the ones sent by Weiner.

If Weiner rides out calls for his resignation, he could stand for reelection next November, and polls of his New York district showed that he continues to have considerable support from his constituents.

Hoyer in his television interview underscored the political stalemate, suggesting that however distasteful his actions, removing Weiner against his will could involve a protracted and messy legal battle.

"Any process, a judicial process through the ethics committee, is going to take time. I really don\'t know that we have that time."

Democrats consider the scandal all the more sad because Weiner is married to Huma Abedin, a hugely popular aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Former president Bill Clinton presided over their July 2010 nuptials. Abedin, 35, is also pregnant with the couple\'s first child.

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