NEW YORK — A new scandal involving raunchy online messages has engulfed Anthony Weiner, imperiling an improbable political comeback that had catapulted him to the top of the New York City mayor’s race.
Weiner, who left Congress amid revelations that he had engaged in a pattern of reckless online conduct, acknowledged during a hastily arranged news conference that the behavior had continued even after his resignation.
Weiner stood side by side with his wife, Huma Abedin, as the two spoke in unusual detail of how the scandal has affected their very public marriage.
“I said that other texts and photos were likely to come out, and today they have,” Weiner said. “I want to again say that I am very sorry to anyone who was on the receiving end of these messages and the disruption this has caused.”
Emphasizing his commitment to remain in the mayoral race, Weiner said, “I want to bring my vision to the people of the city of New York. I hope they are willing to still continue to give me a second chance.”
Abedin, smiling nervously, took to the podium soon after her husband, and said: “I love him. I have forgiven him. And as we have said from the beginning, we are moving forward.”
Weiner’s remarks echoed those from a statement he issued earlier Tuesday, when it remained unclear whether the new allegations about his conduct were true.
“These things that I did were wrong and hurtful to my wife and caused us to go through challenges in our marriage that extended past my resignation from Congress,” he said in a statement issued Tuesday. He added, “This behavior is behind me.”
The allegations were posted on a website called The Dirty, which describes itself as a gossip and satire site and which warns that its “postings may contain erroneous or inaccurate information.”
The Dirty said that it had spoken with a woman, whom it did not name.
The woman provided copies of her communications with a man whom she clearly believed to be Weiner.
The man engaged in explicit discussions of sexual acts he fantasized about performing with her and sent her a picture of his penis; she told him, “Your health care rants were a huge turn-on.”
The woman said Weiner promised to help her get a job at the political website Politico and suggested meeting in a Chicago condo for a tryst.
The allegations gained wider attention when an article appeared in BuzzFeed, and immediately became an enormous distraction for Weiner’s mayoral campaign.
Bill de Blasio and Sal Albanese, Democratic candidates for mayor, and John A. Catsimatidis, a Republican candidate, called for him to drop out.
“Enough is enough,” de Blasio said. “I’m calling on Anthony to withdraw from this race, for the good of the city that I know he loves as much as all of us.”
Catsimatidis said, “The mayor of New York City should be a leader that all the residents of our city, especially our children, can look up to.”
— NEW YORK TIMES
Senate committee approves Obama’s envoy selections
WASHINGTON — A Senate panel Tuesday approved President Obama’s choices for UN envoy and top US diplomat to Europe.
In a voice vote, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee advanced the nominations of five senior diplomats, including former White House adviser Samantha Power for UN ambassador and former State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland for assistant secretary of state for Europe.
Power, a native of Ireland, taught public policy at Harvard University’s Kennedy School.
Two Republican senators on the 18-member committee voted against Power: Marco Rubio of Florida and Rand Paul of Kentucky.
Rubio and Senator Jim Risch of Idaho voted against Nuland.
In her confirmation hearing, Power faced scrutiny over comments she made as a journalist and human rights campaigner perceived as critical of the United States or Israel.
Nuland was questioned by several GOP senators over what she knew about last year’s deadly Benghazi attack.
Obama’s Homeland Security nominee being investigated
WASHINGTON — President Obama’s choice to be the number two official at the Homeland Security Department is under investigation for his role in helping a company run by a brother of Hillary Rodham Clinton, former secretary of state, the Associated Press has learned.
Alejandro Mayorkas, director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services, is being investigated for his role in helping the company secure an international investor visa for a Chinese executive, according to congressional officials briefed on the investigation.
The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release details of the investigation.
Mayorkas was named by Homeland Security’s inspector general’s office as a target in an investigation involving the foreign investor program, according to an e-mail sent to lawmakers late Monday.
In that e-mail, the inspector general’s office said, ‘‘At this point in our investigation, we do not have any findings of criminal misconduct.’’
White House press secretary Jay Carney referred questions to the inspector general’s office, which said that the inquiry is in its preliminary stage.
The program, known as EB-5, allows foreigners to get visas if they invest $500,000 to $1 million in projects or businesses that create jobs for US citizens.
The amount of the investment required depends on the type of project. Investors who are approved can become legal permanent residents after two years and can later be eligible to become citizens.