Anthony Weiner mulls return: Disgraced ex-pol says New York City needs new leadership

Disgraced former Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., responded to rumors regarding his potential return to the public scene, years after he resigned from Congress amid the first of several sexting scandals.

The one-time nom de guerre "Carlos Danger" last served on New York City Council in the 1990s representing Sheepshead Bay and Brighton Beach. Responding to calls from reporters and listeners to his 77WABC radio program, Weiner said Monday he loves his hometown very much, as talk of a new bid in Manhattan surfaced.

He pointed to fellow 77WABC host and Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa, who mounted an unsuccessful Republican bid against Eric Adams in 2021, suggesting he too is not done with public service.

"The way I always unpack these things is ‘what does it mean for me and my neighbors?’ The city has always been the way that I have looked at service. And, you know, we are Democrats. We stand up… for each other… we don't like people being victimized by bullies," Weiner said. 

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Weiner said New York City should always be the "shining laboratory" of Democratic Party ideals and said that "for years we had Republicans running this town."

From 1994 to 2002, Republican Rudy Giuliani served as mayor. He was succeeded by Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-Independent Michael Bloomberg until 2013. The City Council, however, has historically been a supermajority of Democrats.

"I would always say, if we can't come up with solutions for this city, and we can't show that they can work, we don't deserve to win… I love my city. This is a city that is proudly governed by Democrats."

Weiner said that, in contrast, there are issues with New York that seem "intractable" – citing the years-to-decades it takes to build infrastructure, sky-high taxation and the fact that when he rides the bus, "I'd be surprised if half the people paid."

Weiner blamed part of the homeless and migrant problem on a 1979 class action suit brought against then-Gov. Hugh L. Carey and Mayor Ed Koch that resulted in the "Callahan Decree" – which instituted a right-to-shelter for homeless men.

However, Weiner continued through a litany of things he would like to see improved about the city, such as being able to walk into a Duane Reade with his son and not find most of the store's goods locked up.

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"And as someone who has struggled with addiction, someone who lost his brother, I mean, I don't know if we are running headlong into these things because they seem like the right thing to do without thinking."

Weiner said people in his neighborhood have approached him about a return as well.

He noted Councilwoman Carlina Rivera of Kips Bay is term-limited, which would place Weiner's home in an open district.

"People said: ‘Anthony, why don’t you run?'"

He addressed the elephant in the room, remarking that there are "all kinds of reasons not to – least of which are the things in my past and the things about my addiction."

Weiner was once seen as then-Rep. Chuck Schumer's protégé and had a close relationship with his fellow Brooklynite. When Schumer gave up his House seat and successfully won the Senate seat of retiring Republican Al D'Amato, Weiner replaced him.

However, Weiner resigned from Congress in 2011 after admitting to sending women explicit photos. 

After his resignation, Weiner continued sexting under the pseudonym "Carlos Danger." The main recipient, Sydney Leathers, claimed the former lawmaker referred to himself as "an argumentative, perpetually horny middle-aged man."

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A few years later, he was embroiled in another sexting scandal during which he separated from his wife, longtime Hillary Clinton confidante Huma Abedin.

After claims surfaced again, this time that Weiner had sexted a teenager in North Carolina, his laptop was seized. Investigators found emails pertinent to Clinton's classified documents scandal that preceded her upset loss to President-elect Donald Trump.

Weiner later checked himself into rehab for sex addiction, and in 2017 was sentenced in his federal sexting case – which imploded his then-bid for mayor. He remains a registered sex offender.

Weiner remained upbeat in speaking out about his potential opportunity to help New York.

"We're at a moment that we Democrats, seem like we come into knife fights carrying library books all the time," he said. 

"I'm thinking about it. I'm wrestling with it. I'm trying to figure out. I don't know. I mean, I love doing this job on the radio, but I want to be of service. I think everyone should think that way."

"We're Democrats, we solve problems."

The City Council currently sits at a 45-6 Democratic majority, but Republicans doubled their ranks recently and now have at least one member from every borough except Manhattan.