Weiner won't go; new photos surface on Internet

The Republican Party chairman criticised Democratic leaders for not taking a more forceful stand earlier on the affair, which has overshadowed much of the legislative business on Capitol Hill over the past week.

Weiner has acknowledged exchanging messages and photos ranging from sexually suggestive to explicit with several women online, and the latest to surface appeared on the entertainment website TMZ.

The photos posted yesterday were purportedly taken in the House members' gym and show a shirt-less Weiner with a towel around his waist and his hand on his crotch. TMZ said the photos were sent online to at least one woman.

Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the No. 2 House Democrat, spoke of Weiner's "bizarre and unacceptable behavior" in texting inappropriate pictures of himself to young women. Hoyer said it would be "extraordinarily difficult" for Weiner to continue to represent his constituents effectively.

In New York, foes and supporters of Weiner confronted each other outside his district office in the Kew Gardens section of the borough of Queens.

"He's not fit to be our congressman," said Jim Scott, 61, one of about two dozen constituents who rallied to demand that Weiner resign. "People are sick of him, especially his attitude."

Half a dozen Weiner supporters gathered a few yards (meters) away. College student Olivia Lurrie, 18, said Weiner was a good leader who made a mistake.

In a recent poll of registered voters in Weiner's district, 56 per cent said he should stay in office while 33 per cent said he should leave.

Weiner, an outspoken liberal, was known for his sharply worded critiques of Republican policies on the House floor and frequently appeared on cable television news shows.