Anthony Weiner Losing Ground to 'Carlos Danger'
If there's one adversary former Rep. Anthony Weiner can't seem to outshine on the campaign trail, it's his alias, Carlos Danger. But that doesn't mean he won't try.
In his first live, on-air interview since news of his latest sexting scandal broke, Weiner maintained the mystery of the persona when he told Univision's Satcha Pretto this morning that the Spanish alias was "a joke between [him] and one person" and that he would "not comment on it" further.
The NYC mayoral hopeful also remained composed while acknowledging the possibility of more women coming out with similar private information. "I can't say that things in my past will not come up again," Weiner, 48, told Pretto.
Scandals Take Toll on Dems' 'War on Women' Message
One poll has Weiner falling from front-runner to fourth place in two weeks, with 65 percent of voters citing his behavior as a major issue for his campaign. The race was further disrupted this week when Weiner's campaign manager disparaged a former intern who wrote a tell-all newspaper article about the former congressman.
"If people want to continue to look at my background and make fun of things in my personal life, they are welcome to," Weiner said.
Critics and politicians alike seem to have taken him up on the offer, as Weiner's personal life continues to dominate headlines.
In addition to fellow mayoral candidates calling for him to quit the race, Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., this week shared his medical opinion by saying Weiner is "psychologically unfit" to be the mayor of New York City.
When asked about King's comments, Weiner told Pretto today, "Congressman King never wanted me to become mayor. I fight with him every single step of the way [on immigration overhaul] just like I will when I'm mayor. I'm not looking for Peter King's vote. In fact, I'd be a little ashamed if I had it."
While several top Democrats have condemned Weiner's behavior, President Obama has remained quiet. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney Wednesday said the president would not be commenting on New York's mayoral race.
"We just have no comment on it," he said. "There's plenty of coverage, plenty of stuff to cover without us commenting.
"The president believes we ought to be focused here on the substantive issues that most Americans want their elected officials and their unelected officials in Washington to be focused on."