Rep. Anthony Weiner Hires Lawyer After Twitter “Prank”
EmailABC News’ Devin Dwyer (@devindwyer) reports: Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., has hired a lawyer after a lewd photo of an unidentified man was posted to his twitter account and directed at a 21-year-old female college student from Seattle.
A spokesman for Weiner said the congressman is exploring “civil or criminal actions” in response to the incident, which he called a “prank.” It’s unclear whether the office has also requested an independent investigation.
The twitter post, which appeared Friday night and was quickly deleted, was first reported on by conservative website Biggovernment.com.
“I was hacked. It happens to people,” Weiner told CNN Monday night. “This is a prank, not a terribly creative one, and it’s a distraction.”
Gennette Cordova, the alleged target of Weiner’s tweet, said in a statement Sunday to the New York Daily News that even though she’s a “fan” of Weiner – who was also following her on twitter – she has never met the congressman.
“There have never been any inappropriate exchanges between Anthony Weiner and myself, including the tweet/picture in question, which had apparently been deleted before it reached me,” she said.
“I cannot answer the questions that I do not have the answers to. … I also do not have a clear understanding as to how or why exactly I am involved in this fiasco.”
Weiner, 46, is married to Huma Abedin, an aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Internet security experts said the controversial post could have easily been done by someone with access to the congressman’s accounts. But they also say it’s plausible that an unauthorized person infiltrated the system.
“Those things get hacked the simplest ways,” Alan Paller, director of the SANS Institute for Computer Security Training, said of Twitter and Facebook accounts.
“It’s either shoulder surfing, where someone stands behind you when you sign in, or they just guess,” he said. “They figure out what your user name is, which is usually your name, and then they just try your wife’s name, your kid’s name, your wife’s birthday for the password or just keep trying until they find one.”
Paller said more advanced hackers, who take over an individual personal computer or network, could install a keystroke logger to commandeer a Twitter or Facebook password. What happened in Weiner’s case remains to be seen.
If a hacker was responsible for the post, it wouldn’t be the first time.
A 25-year-old Frenchman hacked into President Obama’s Twitter account last year and was later arrested.
And hackers broke into Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s personal email account in 2008, exposing cell phone numbers and other private information.
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BTW, it’s important to note the evolution of his press statements… it was once a Hack(SERIOUS BUSINESS) but now it is a Prank(NOTHINGBURGER) that can be waved away.
Posted by: soren | May 31, 2011, 11:38 am 11:38 am
Obama gets hacked and calls the cops.
Palin gets hacked and calls the cops.
Weiner gets hacked and calls his lawyer.
Posted by: yarrr | May 31, 2011, 11:41 am 11:41 am
yarr—what’s your point?
Posted by: anon | May 31, 2011, 11:55 am 11:55 am
I wonder why Soren and Yarr think they know everything thats going on between Anthony Weiner and the people he has summoned to pursue criminal actions?
I wonder why people like them were demanding responses from the FBI on Memorial Day Weekend?
Are you guys actually working with that creep Patriot, who with his pals not only stalked the Congressman online, but also persistently harassed Ms. Cordova and her friends?
Are you the folks spreading the rumor of her being a “mistress” and trying to contact her family to find out more info on her?
The fact that this story broke through habitual liar Andrew Breitbart (who never once has presented an honest or verifiable issue… EVER) says enough.
The fact that this happened right as Clarence Thomas was to divulge important information regarding potential fraud (a process which Weiner was helping to pursue) is even more striking.
How convenient for a public sext message to be sent from the account of the man pursuing criminal charges against Thomas RIGHT as Thomas was to provide his financial docs.
This reminds me of anoither fallacious assault by Andrew breitbart.
When Shirley Sherrod was attacked by Breitbart, his fans were caterwauling that she HAD to take the matter to court in order prove her innocence.
But when she did, Breitbart and his brainwashed fans got very upset, totally freaked out, and angrily faulted her for taking up their dare.
Its the same here.
There is no reason why Weiner has to tell Breitbarts fans how he is pursuing these criminal actions. The fact is, he IS pursuing them, and he doesnt have to post an itinerary on the matter.
For all that, they may have already found the hacker, and have been advised to keep mum.
If they are going straight to a criminal suit, that may be what has happened. I bet it KILLS Breitbart that he doesnt know.
Personally, i think Breitbart and co are pushing the Congressman to react just to find out what his next move is. They sense that they might be on the radar.
What Breitbart and his minions dont understand is that not everything has to go online… ESPECIALLY if you are pursuing a criminal (or even civil) suit (after all, arent THEY being mighty hush hush over both the Sherrod court case and the Juan Carlos Vera court case? Odd, especially since Breitbart recently got toasted by Sherrod lawyers on his second attempt to change venues. )
In any case, the troup of dishonest armchair thugs that follow Breitbart dont have the right to demand to know everything Weiner is doing in this situation…
….and I can tell it is driving them NUTS that they dont know whats up.
Posted by: BreitbartAlwaysLies | May 31, 2011, 12:10 pm 12:10 pm
This was no hacker…he is a pervert.
Posted by: PETER | May 31, 2011, 12:13 pm 12:13 pm
“Rep. Anthony Weiner Hires Lawyer After Twitter “Prank” ” Until there is clear evidence of a hack, it should read ” “Alleged” Twitter prank
Posted by: 57vw | May 31, 2011, 12:27 pm 12:27 pm
Twitter has the ip address it is connected to him or the router/modem that he has used. If a law was broken call the popo. But he can’t that’s why he called his attorney.
Posted by: William | May 31, 2011, 12:59 pm 12:59 pm
I heard that it was actually Michael “Weiner” Savage that tried to entice Rep. Weiner with a large bushel of grapes.
Posted by: Bobby Sweet Loads | May 31, 2011, 1:20 pm 1:20 pm
The lunatic-left d-cRAT socialists and their stooges in the lamestream socialist media are now in FULL COVER-UP MODE to protect The Weiner from his WeinerGate lies, porn and affairs with college students.
Are you, like everybody else with a brain, wondering WHY The Weiner hasn’t called in the police or the FBI to investigate the alleged “hacking” ?
Don’t hold your breath waiting for him to do so – he won’t call them in to investigate since, OBVIOUSLY, they would immediately expose the fraud and lies that he is propagating to save his political neck.
Furthermore, Twitter has records that would identify the IP address of anyone that accesses The Weiner account and records of any and all attempts to crack the password. Has The Weiner publicly asked Twitter to provide this information ? NO, NO, NO, NO, of course NOT. Seems like he is doing everything he can to AVOID EXPOSING THE TRUTH.
And finally, why would The Weiner send a tweet noting the time in Seattle, where the student who got the bulging photo is located?
Posted by: TeaPartyPatriot | May 31, 2011, 1:22 pm 1:22 pm
William: thanks for that information. So things are pointing at him actually sending it. WOW.
Posted by: 57vw | May 31, 2011, 1:25 pm 1:25 pm
I find it hard to believe any congressman would ever be this stupid. I do not care the party.
Posted by: MaeMobly | May 31, 2011, 1:34 pm 1:34 pm
I think Weiner is trying to divert us away from the truth. He’s a slime ball and he’s guilty as sin.
Weiner’s a weiner ….
Posted by: Mr.Data | May 31, 2011, 1:45 pm 1:45 pm
This is weak………..VERY WEAK !!! If the pic was not of Weiner, then what is all the hubbub about? I see NOTHING except for speculation and guess work.
Posted by: Nancy C | May 31, 2011, 1:52 pm 1:52 pm
How do we know if Weiner is telling the truth ? Remember, after all he is a Democrat politician !
Posted by: AlGorejr | May 31, 2011, 2:35 pm 2:35 pm
Yet another reason to focus on the people’s business. Let’s say you get to work on a plan to save the entitlements that will bury this country in unsurmountable debt if left alone? There’s an idea.
Posted by: s | May 31, 2011, 3:11 pm 3:11 pm
interesting how so many right wing opinions are posted as if they are facts. you have no inside information; you are merely fabricating. but that seems to serve your cause well. why bother with gathering actual information and facts when you can make up your own?
Posted by: anon | May 31, 2011, 3:17 pm 3:17 pm
Why not ask the police and detectives to pursue the perpetrator of this crime? What kind of case will Weiner have in court without a police report?
Posted by: Paulie | May 31, 2011, 3:22 pm 3:22 pm
It’s amazing how many of you are blaming Breibart or someone else for Weiner’s disgusting tweet.
First of all, Breibart is the messenger, and he and others are begging for Weiner to call the FBI to settle this matter.
But Weiner is trying to make this matter go away. Why would he do that, liberal genius, if he was innocent? A guilty man hires a lawyer to cover his derriere.
And liberal genius, even if you still blame others, how do you account for the fact that Weiner was familiar with this girl and many others including a porno star that he was following. Those are facts. Out of 40,000 followers, he was following these chosen ones.
Most of his facts don’t add up. He deletes the evidence and the girl deletes her facebook and twitter accounts as well as her byline gets scrubbed on some articles that she wrote. Some prank!!!! He has involved this student in his cover up. What a pig!
Posted by: Canuck | May 31, 2011, 3:33 pm 3:33 pm
there are a couple of very good reasons for calling an attorney. 1. a civil suit–sometiimes the best way to stop mischief makers is to hit them right in the pocketbook. 2. it’s a good idea to find out exactly what the law is before involving police. the way some laws are written, there are loopholes and there is no need to involve police if the infraction doesn’t fit the law as written.
Posted by: anon | May 31, 2011, 4:23 pm 4:23 pm
Andrew Breitbart posted it? Wow. That is so credible. You do mean the Andrew Breitbart who is a known pedophile, right? I’m sure I read that. Or if I didn’t, it might be true anyway. IF this offends anyone… I’m deeply sorry. Just as sincerely as Breitbart always is.
Posted by: sa | May 31, 2011, 9:05 pm 9:05 pm
He is quilty and pervert jerk..his role model slick willy and he will stay in the congress cause he is democRats,liberal criminals alien love pervert crook and tax cheat as long bring votes
Posted by: above the law | May 31, 2011, 9:25 pm 9:25 pm
No body hack him.. he is guilty as SIN..he is liberal “True is hurt”
Posted by: above the law | May 31, 2011, 9:27 pm 9:27 pm
A congressman has much serious content in his electronic possession.
That is why they are REQUIRED to report breaches to the Capital Police.
This is serious, but all we get from Weiner is dismissal.
An arrogant fool.
Posted by: James | May 31, 2011, 9:30 pm 9:30 pm
“If a hacker was responsible for the post, it wouldn’t be the first time.”
But it WOULD be the first time the police were not called to investigate a sitting congressman’s social networking accounts being hacked.
The answer is obvious – Weiner CAN’T get the police involved – that would be a CRIME because he would be filing a false police report.
Posted by: SandyK | June 1, 2011, 12:23 am 12:23 am
“It’s amazing how many of you are blaming Breibart or someone else for Weiner’s disgusting tweet. ”
Maybe because breihart is disgusting individual who is known for setting up people who disagree with his political opinions by fabricating, editing and insinuating all sorts of stories and lies? Maybe because this has breibart’s disgusting tactics written all over it? Weiner doesnt need the police for such a stupid picture. He needs to sue Breibart and it is not a minute too soon somebody sues that scumbag.
Posted by: s | June 1, 2011, 9:20 am 9:20 am
Anthony Weiner believes every word of the September 11 story.
Anthony Weiner has no questions about the September 11 story.
Posted by: NadePaulKuciGravMcKi | June 1, 2011, 9:25 am 9:25 am
What a lying sack of manure!! What a sheepish denial! Couldn’t happen to a more deserving, two faced, finger pointing, ethically challenged pol. GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!
Posted by: hadenuf | June 1, 2011, 7:32 pm 7:32 pm
Whether you are for or against the man’s policies, one thing no honest American can deny is that Weiner is intelligent. He has a well-deserved reputation for being extremely bright, very quick-witted, and an excellent critical thinker. Point being that Weiner is far too intelligent to engage in the tweeting of lurid pictures. That being said, and considering his position as a prominent political figure, its easy to imagine that he is, as he claims, the victim of a prank.
Posted by: Michael K of RP CA | June 1, 2011, 10:27 pm 10:27 pm
In addition to the silliness of convicting without trial such a clearly intelligent person of stupidly committing political hara-kiri by engaging in the posting of questionable material online, it seems quite un-American for any of us to criticize Weiner or anyone else for matters which are 100% their personal business. This is the land of the free, not “the land where hypocrites judge others as though they themselves were without sin”. It is likely that Weiner is innocent and has been set-up for embarrassment, but even if he had sent a lurid photograph, it certainly isn’t cause for a national uproar. I am reminded of the fact that during Clinton’s impeachment, one of the ringleaders was Newt Gingrich who later was revealed to having had an affair at the very time he was taking Clinton to task for lying about his affair with Lewinsky. This fact is presented as an example of hypocrisy on the part of Weiner’s critics (Republicans), but the point is, the private life of our politicians should remain private. None of us has the right to critically judge someone else on his or her sexually-oriented hijinx, and when we do, it is almost always as a political attack or distraction. As a nation we have far more important things to concern ourselves with than the private doings of our senators and representatives. So shame on the press and on every US citizen who claims to be a Christian but chooses to deny Christ’s instructions to “Judge not lest ye be judged”.
Posted by: Michael K of RP CA | June 1, 2011, 10:51 pm 10:51 pm
Whether you are for or against the man’s policies, one thing no honest American can deny is that Weiner is intelligent. He has a well-deserved reputation for being extremely bright, very quick-witted, and an excellent critical thinker. Point being that Weiner is clearly far too intelligent to engage in the tweeting of lurid pictures. That being said, and considering his position as a political figure, its easy to imagine that he is, as he claims, the victim of a prank.
Posted by: Michael K of RP CA | June 1, 2011, 10:58 pm 10:58 pm
Please excuse my inadvertent double-post.
Posted by: Michael K of RP CA | June 1, 2011, 11:00 pm 11:00 pm
This whole thing is so bizarre and weiners behavior is so bizarre that I have to believe he’s running a scam like obama with the birth certificate. Just reeling people in to make a big score at the end.
Posted by: Save My Marriage | June 2, 2011, 9:00 am 9:00 am
rep weiner is michael alan weiner (savage’s real name) cousin from what i hear…2 peas in a pod lol
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