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from www.abcnews.go.com – Rep. Anthony Weiner of New York plans to leave office, calling House leaders Wednesday night at a White House picnic to inform them he would resign today, sources tell ABC News.
Weiner’s decision comes after days of mounting pressure from congressional Democrats following his embarrassing admission of risque online chats and photo swaps with multiple women after first denying it.
Weiner, 46, has begun sharing his decision with close friends, the sources said, but has yet to send a formal letter to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo or House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, indicating his intentions.
A Democratic source said Weiner called House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Steve Israel, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Wednesday night at the picnic.
Israel pulled Pelosi aside and both spoke with Weiner on the phone, which is when he shared his decision, said a Democratic aide who spoke on condition of anonymity.
News of Weiner’s decision came as Democrats prepared to consider whether to strip the embattled congressman of his committee assignments in an effort to limit his influence and push him out.
In the past week, President Obama, Democratic Party chairwoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Pelosi and other top congressional leaders have all encouraged Weiner to resign, calling the scandal a “distraction.”
“Our caucus understands our concern for the rights of the individual member,” Pelosi, of California, said after a meeting Tuesday with House Democrats, “but also our higher responsibility to our country to uphold a high ethical standard in the Congress of the United States.”
Weiner, who has not been charged with or convicted of violating any laws or House ethics rules, had insisted he would remain in office despite the pressure from his colleagues.
The House approved Weiner’s request Monday for a two-week temporary leave of absence while he received “treatment” for an undisclosed condition at an unknown location.
Weiner’s wife, Huma Abedin, returned from an overseas trip with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton early Wednesday morning and met with her husband in person for the first time since the sexting scandal broke. Weiner had told friends he was waiting for her return before making any decision about his political future.