President Obama Confident Anthony Weiner Will 'Bounce Back'
President tells ABC that Weiner's resignation will give him time to refocus.
June 16, 2011— -- President Obama said he is confident that embattled New York Rep. Anthony Weiner and his wife, Huma Abedin, can bounce back from the sexting scandal that ended the Democrat's congressional career.
"I wish Rep. Weiner and his lovely wife well," Obama said in an exclusive interview with ABC News' Robin Roberts to air on "Good Morning America" Friday. "Obviously, it's been a tough incident for him, but I'm confident that they'll refocus and he'll refocus, and they'll end up being able to bounce back."
Weiner admitted tearfully last week that he exchanged lewd photos with six women over Twitter and Facebook. Though the 46-year-old congressman checked himself into rehab, there was a growing chorus of voices in the Democratic leadership calling on him to resign and saying he was distracting attention from other important issues.
When asked about Weiner's inappropriate relationships earlier this week, Obama said in an interview on NBC, "If it was me, I would resign."
Amid the pressure, Weiner resigned this afternoon from his post as U.S. representative from the 9th District of New York.
He said he made that decision "so my colleagues can get back to work, my neighbors can choose a new representative and, most importantly, that my wife and I can continue to heal from the damage I have caused."
Watch Robin Roberts' exclusive interview with President Obama on "Good Morning America" Friday at 7 a.m. ET.