Reports: Weiner Will Resign Today

Reports: Weiner Will Resign Today

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) has told his friends he is prepared to resign from Congress, the New York Times reports.

A Democratic source tells HuffPost's Sam Stein that Weiner called Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.), who chairs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday night to alert them of his plans to step down today.

A Democratic source tells HuffPost's Mike McAuliff, "At least the nightmare is over."

In recent weeks, the embattled congressman has resisted calls to resign from his post amid intense controversy surrounding inappropriate interactions headmitted to engaging in online and lewd photos surfacing of the congressman.

The AP relays background on the controversy:

The scandal got even stranger Wednesday, when a former porn actress who exchanged emails and messages with Weiner said he asked her to lie about their interactions

Weiner has acknowledged sending sexually explicit messages and suggestive photos of himself to various women and then lying about it. The New York congressman has taken a two-week leave from the House and is reported to be in treatment at an undisclosed location.

Last weekend, Democratic party leaders urged Weiner to step down. Their calls came the same day the congressman signaled he would enter treatment and take a temporary leave of absence from his job. HuffPost's Sam Stein reported at the time:

In successive statements, Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Steve Israel (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) urged Weiner to conduct his rehabilitation outside the confines of public office. Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) the ranking member of the Budget Committee and former DCCC head, followed with the same request 45 minutes later.

“Congressman Weiner has the love of his family, the confidence of his constituents, and the recognition that he needs help," said Pelosi, whose word carries the most weight of the group. "I urge Congressman Weiner to seek that help without the pressures of being a Member of Congress.”

Just days later, President Barack Obama told NBC's Ann Curry in an interview that if he were Weiner, he would resign.

Prior to news of Weiner's intention to step down, the New York lawmaker had signaled he would wait for his wife to return from a trip before determining his next step in response to calls for him to give up his seat. His wife Huma Abedin returned from traveling overseas with her boss Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday. It was recently reported that Abedin is pregnant with the pair's first child.

At her weekly press conference on Thursday morning, Pelosi said, "If you are here to ask a question about Congressman Weiner I won't be answering." She added, "I have made the statements I am going to make."

Weiner is expected to hold a press conference himself on Thursday at 2:00 p.m. ET in his New York district. Pelosi said, "After that I will have a statement available."