NYT: Weiner Stepping Down

It isn’t official yet, but the New York Times has reported that Anthony Weiner has caved to Democratic pressure and will be stepping down from his position in Congress.

The Times says the decision came after Weiner spoke with his wife Huma Abedin at length upon her return from a diplomatic trip to Africa with Hillary Clinton. In the interim, party leaders had planned to strip him of his seats on various committees in order to increase pressure for the congressman to vacate his office. Per the Gray Lady:

But that pressure intensified earlier this week when President Obama publicly suggested that he should step down and Ms. Pelosi told reporters that she was prepared to strip Mr. Weiner of his committee assignments if he did not leave.

At the same time, the House ethics committee had formally opened an inquiry into Mr. Weiner’s conduct, including trading private messages with a teenage girl in Delaware. The investigation raised the prospect that he would face formal charges and sanctions, including expulsion. But with his decision to resign, the investigation is expected to end, since the committee has jurisdiction only over the actions of members of Congress.

Specifics regarding Weiner’s resignation have not yet been announced.