Luke Russert Impales Weiner With His Own Words
MSNBC's Luke Russert on Wednesday pressed Congressman Anthony Weiner with a very simple question: Is the picture of man in underwear that was sent out on the Representative's Twitter account his? Weiner responded, "You know, I can't say with certitude."
Russert began by wondering, "That's not a picture of you?" After a lengthy non-answer, he reasonably pointed out, "But, Congressman, you would remember if you were to take a photograph of yourself like that."
[See video below. MP3 audio here.]
Following another confusing reply about pranks and being hacked, a puzzled Russert quizzed, "But, fair enough. You will not flat-out deny that that photograph is not you?"
In a previous hour, the journalist summarized it this way: "And he said that he can't say with certitude that it's not me, meaning there's a distinct possibility that that photograph of the male area below the waist could be that of Congressman Weiner."
Earlier, MSNBC anchor Tamron Hall seemed to worry about covering the story: "A lot of people, I'm sure, reach out to you on Twitter and they're saying why are we covering Weinergate? Congressman Weiner said he that didn't want to discuss it anymore but he gave you this interview."
She added that Weiner "may not have done a great job."
[Thanks to MRC intern Alex Fitzsimmons for the video.]
A transcript of the June 1 exchange can be found below:
2:00
TAMRON HALL: Luke, you're like me. A lot of people, I'm sure, reach out to you on Twitter and they're saying why are we covering Weinergate? Congressman Weiner said he that didn't want to discuss it anymore but he gave you this interview. He was trying to clear the air but may not have done a great job at it here.
LUKE RUSSERT: Well, yesterday, Tamron, was certainly a difficult day media-wise for Congressman Weiner when he called a colleague of ours from CNN a jackass. He was angry at the media for asking him questions about this controversy, He's saying that it was a prank. It was silly, that he wanted to concentrate on bigger issues of the day. He realized it didn't go so well, as there was a lot of network coverage of what occurred at the press conference and he started to have a series of sit-down interviews with us. I just completed one with us and the real news that came out of it is, I pressed him or not, even if it was a mistake that photograph ended up in the Twitter feed of Ms. Cordova, the 21-year-old college student from Seattle, could he confirm nor deny that was actually him. And he said that he can't say with certitude that it's not me, meaning there's a distinct possibility that that photograph of the male area below the waist could be that of Congressman Weiner.
3:03
LUKE RUSSERT: That's not a picture of you?
WEINER: You know, I can't say with certitude. My system was hacked. Pictures can be manipulated. Pictures can be dropped in and inserted. One of the reasons I've asked the firm that includes internet security arm is to take a look at what the heck happened here was to make sure it doesn't happen again. But let's, kinda, keep in mind why this is so silly. You know, someone committed a prank on me. Somehow got access to my Twitter account. By the way, took off a picture that made fun of the name Weiner and that's what happened here.
RUSSERT: But, Congressman, you would remember if you were to take a photograph of yourself like that.
WEINER: Well, you know one of the reasons we've asked an internet security firm to come in is to see maybe something was manipulated, somebody something dropped in. We don't know for sure what happened here. But let's try to take a step back. You know, this is a circumstance where someone committed a prank on the internet where someone spoofed me, made fun of me, whatever. We're taking it seriously in as much we want to make sure it doesn't happen again but this story has become a little bit out of control to the point that people are asking me, and asking people who follow me on Twitter, you know, personal questions. People are asking what other things are in your internet, on your, on your database.
RUSSERT: But, fair enough. You will not flat-out deny that that photograph is not you?
WEINER: Here what happens I will say: I will say that we're trying to figure out exactly what happened here. Whether a photograph was manipulated that was found in my account, whether something was dropped into my account, whether a photograph was partially my account, you know. Jon Stewart might have that right last night.
RUSSERT: So, you never intentionally sent anything to Ms. Cordova?
WEINER: No. Nothing. She says that. I'm saying that. I've said that since Saturday when I said that originally. Look, this is a prank, intended I believe to make fun of me and to throw me off my game. I confess that it's done that a little more than I would have liked.
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Comments
throw him off his game-
Submitted by JIMMY1660 on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 3:58pm.
if he indeed sent this-he goes to jail.
game over then "hotpants"
What a headline
Submitted by jon_torlin on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 4:07pm.
I couldn't stop laughing past "Luke Russert impales Weiner."
What a frightening visual!
But what's troubling is his apparent refusal to answer a simple question with a "yes" or "no" when it had to get dragged out of him.
-Jon
Big Difference
Submitted by bmac32 on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 4:07pm.
A Republican steps down once their caught with their hand in the cookie jar while a Democrat swears it wasn't them even when there are crumbs in their lap.
This for me couldn't happen to a better CRUMB!
Learn some history
Submitted by Hunter S. on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 4:27pm.
Or some honesty. One or the other. Does Mark Sanford ring any bells?
I DID NOT HAVE PHOTOGRAPH
Submitted by eaglewingz08 on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 4:10pm.
I DID NOT HAVE PHOTOGRAPH RELATIONS WITH THAT ROGUE WEINER/WIENER!
Miss Ballbricker
Submitted by AgentAmerican on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 4:15pm.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIcSuyZjjIM
"Now Mr. Boehner, I know this is completely unorthodox..."
It appears that Mr. Weiner
Submitted by ronber on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 4:22pm.
is about to to be hoisted on his own petard.
Just one of many Wieners that
Submitted by nonncom on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 4:25pm.
got roasted over the Memorial Day weekend.....isn't there a law broken here, like pointing a wiener in a threatening manner?....
I am very surprised that
Submitted by Scuba Dude on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 4:28pm.
I am very surprised that someone as inept and partisan as Luke Russert was this aggressive with a Democrat. I guess the White House has deemed Weiner persona non grata and are giving the LSM their marching orders.
How conflicted they must be to attack one of their own and giving challengers to his seat the ammunition to prevent his reelection.
non grata
Submitted by jon_torlin on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 4:32pm.
The Chairman does have a history of throwing people under the bus that were once allies with him. I still think that it was his voicing opposition to the Chairman's comments about Israel that brought this on and I bet the WH had something on him to start with.
The Chairman is like a spiteful vengeful kid if he doesn't get his way. Well, ok, he IS one.
-Jon
White House Cuts Loose Their Weiner...
Submitted by bigdaddy on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 5:27pm.
...Probably not the first time Tony really hated his last name.
Luke Russert needs to grow a
Submitted by Van Halen on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 4:36pm.
Luke Russert needs to grow a pair which you would see if this were Todd Palin trying to BS his way through a story like this. He needs to stand up and start screaming at Weiner demanding how a Congressman can look him, Luke Russert, in the eye - a reporter with YEARS of experience, and drop this kind of crap.
Do you know why Weiner says this stuff? Because he knows the Left are doing everything in their power to give him an out. Good God, is there any reason why no one watches the MSM any more?
Weiner's assertion is lame,
Submitted by ForeverOnTheRight on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 4:37pm.
Weiner's assertion is lame, limp is you will. His defense is so idiotic it is incredible! A hacked account on Twitter or Facebook should not take very long to discover.
This is too good
Submitted by Ohming on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 4:40pm.
We could bring in Coach Buelah Ballbricker from the movie Porky's, and have her inspect a liberal congressional lineup, she could spot the perp.
We could put up wanted posters, have you seen this little pr***?
Thanks Congressman Weiner, I forgot how damned funny that movie was, you never cease to entertain us.
He won't deny it???
Submitted by Dave81 on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 4:43pm.
"We could have been hacked" is not a denial, it's a possible explination. A denial would be "No, those aren't pictures of me. Now here's a possible explination as to where they could have come from..." But how can you say "I can't say with certitude" if you've NEVER TAKEN THOSE PICTURES! What a schmuck.
Two items:
Submitted by CO2Maker on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 4:44pm.
1. Tony, baby: Stop digging. You're just making yourself look guiltier.
2. And Tony, you don't look a thing like Gary Hart.
Wow...
Submitted by PJRyan on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 4:46pm.
Little Luke went into that one fully cocked, didn't he?? Set him up to interview Barney Frank about Fannie Mae and getting lovers jobs there...maybe Luke will blow that one, too.
Drain the swamp Speaker Boehner.
→ Is that a Weiner on your docket?
Submitted by Cool Arrow on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 4:51pm.
Or are you just glad to see me.
Pornstars Strippers High
Submitted by Van Halen on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 4:55pm.
Pornstars
Strippers
High school girls
Pictures of private parts
Girls tweeting that the Weiner is their 'boyfriend'
The Weiner's PR guy lies about the timeline of what happened
The Weiner erases all evidence when hacking the account of a Congressman would certainly be investigated as a Federal crime
The Weiner won't admit as to whether he sent the lewd photo or not
Leftwing media sites go into damage-control mode by ignoring story when you know if this were Todd Palin...
I'd love to get video of the floors littered with broken crockery the Weiner-wife threw at the Weiner!
One of the best "teenage" movies ever..
Submitted by Tomorama on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 4:59pm.
I believe her exact words were "I could spot that Tallywhacker anywhere" when speaking of the Weiner.
I "relish" the thought of him getting "grilled".
His Dad Tim was heard to say "For the first time in his adult life, my son acted like a journalist"...
I respected his Dad immensely.
And no one thought it was odd that he was 45 and never married.
Submitted by SickofLibs on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 5:04pm.
I believe there may be a back-story yet to come out unrelated to this Member of Congress thing.
Come clean, Weiner.
CNN's Jeffrey Toobin: "The person who has been pushing this
Submitted by Rush Fan on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 5:06pm.
story the most is Andrew Breitbart, who has been consistently inaccurate in portraying Democrats, members of the Obama Administration, as doing things on video they have not done. Most notoriously in the Shirley Sherrod case. So you can understand why Weiner does not want to get into a long term fight with Andrew Breitbart, because all that's going to do is give him more publicity and probably not settle this issue once and for all."
Jeffrey Toobin, who has his own issues regarding sexcapades, places the blame on the Weiner scandal on Andrew Breitbart. Here is the VIDEO of Toobin's remarks.
Andrew Breitbart responds to Toobin's comments.. The Daily Caller has the VIDEO.
The married Jeffrey Toobin, is said to have privately admitted to fathering a child with Casey Greenfield, daughter of former CBS analyst Jeff Greenfield. However, the leftist Wikipedia site makes no mention of it. If Toobin was a Conservative or Republican, you can bet Wikipedia would ensure that personal fact was included. Compare Toobin's Wikipedia page with Rush Limbaugh's. prescription drug issue.
Here are a few more VIDEOS of Jeffrey Toobin blaming
Submitted by Rush Fan on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 5:42pm.
Andrew Breitbart for Rep. Weiner's predicament, and defending Weiner.
Toobin with Anderson Cooper and Dana Bash.
Toobin and Randi Kaye
TOOBIN: “What Andrew Breitbart was insinuating about [Weiner] with young girls and stuff is outrageous. And frankly, it’s too bad that he got to say that stuff on CNN. Look, this is a light-hearted story. This is a silly little thing that happened, it’s not a big deal.” [...] "I just don't think it's a big deal."
Even the left-leaning Mediate said this of Breitbart and Toobin:
The DC
Submitted by bkeyser on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 5:06pm.
is staying all over this. Here's an XtraNormal vid they're showcasing. This isn't going away, much to AW's chagrin.
bkeyser......That was a hilarious viideo. Thank you for the
Submitted by Rush Fan on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 5:50pm.
link.
BK too funny!
Submitted by MaximusBraveheart on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 6:37pm.
That was great BK!
-- Maximusbraveheart -- Is TRUTH knowable? Moral Relativism is the abandonment of Truth. Truth is knowable. Truth conforms to Reality. Reality is observable by evidence & witness in this day & from history. Relativism is Sesame Street play land.
Completely off topic, but...
Submitted by zero order phase on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 5:21pm.
Is it just me, or is there an unusual amount of libtrolls on Newbusters recently?
The DNC must be making a
Submitted by Free Stinker on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 5:30pm.
The DNC must be making a special effort to "influence public opinion" with more $14/hr activists. (activist is Liberal code for "concern troll").
/// Sarah Palin Fan since July 11, 2007 /// خال
Yes,
Submitted by Boudin on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 5:57pm.
But libtards are unusual by nature
Bingo!
Submitted by easygoer on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 5:27pm.
Russert should have asked him about this statement:
Rep. Weiner in 2009: 'Cyber attacks...are real and demand immediate action'
Weiner's obfuscation is doing him in
Submitted by Galvanic on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 5:52pm.
Had he just laid low until some other headline bounced this off the front page, it might be forgotten in a few months. But his narcissism is his worst enemy.
Matthews was uh, uh, uh OK on this tonight...
Submitted by Tomorama on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 6:06pm.
On Matthews Joan Walsh was also giving him the benefit of a doubt in spite of his non-answers basing it on the evil Breitbart having his hand in this somehow.
MATTHEWS slammed her by saying she is NOT telling the truth about what Breitbart posted about Shirley Sherrod and Walsh said that some poor young girl is also being ruined by Conservative bloggers (I actually haven't seen her name on the three sites I post on, she is a NON-FACTOR).
The other guest from the NY Slimes a "Black guy" who I didn't catch the name, said Weiner is just treating this like the Birthers, a non-story according to him just like the birthers was a non-story.
Stunned that this "man" would tie it to the Birthers....................
Again Matthews said he was wrong as well and this was ALL WEINERS FAULT.
I was really stunned here, REALLY.
And yet Devlin Barrett, on
Submitted by motherbelt on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 6:32pm.
And yet Devlin Barrett, on the WSJ blog, says it's only conservatives who are skeptical about Weiner's tale....(emphasis mine):
Mr. Weiner has not asked law enforcement agencies to investigate, raising questions from conservative skeptics about his claims of innocence.
Because, you know, liberals are all taking him at his word. Which word, is anyone's guess.
But the directions say "if
Submitted by Dan Diego on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 9:47pm.
But the directions say "if the condition lasts more than 4 hours seek help".
For Gawd's sake, man!!
Submitted by motherbelt on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 6:02pm.
Put down the damn shovel!!
This is downright hilarious!! He doesn't know if it's a picture of HIM????
If something's photo-shopped, Mr. Weiner, that means it's NOT a picture of you!
If something was created, or "dropped in" whatever that means, then it's not a picture of you!
What the heck photo of you in your account could be manipulated into that?
All you have to do is say "No, I never took a photo of that part of my body, nor did I allow anyone else to. Someone may be saying it's me, but it's not me.
How tough is that to do?? You sound like Bill Clinton promising that he was trying to get answers for the media about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky (as if he was in the dark!)
And you really need to stop giving interviews and then saying you don't want to talk about it!
You go, motherbelt!
Submitted by Texndoc on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 6:11pm.
What's funny is that every wife in America knows that if this were their husband the answers better be "Damn NO that's not me" and "Hell NO I never photographed my willy."
End of story. No lawyers necessary. And Hell YES I want the FBI to get who did this.
Weiner is actually becoming quite the comedy act.
What an adolesent
Submitted by Boudin on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 6:25pm.
Scumbag, on so many levels. Levin just came on, pretty sure he may mention Boing, Weiner
Get out of the house!
Submitted by The Vet on Thu, 06/02/2011 - 12:19am.
There are camera's everywhere. You are being bugged. And Hacked. And Phreaked. And Spoofed. And followed. Your every move is being recorded. For the love of Henry. Get out! And don't get in the car there are GPS devices attached.
The bottom line is Weiner is
Submitted by AngryInOhio on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 6:22pm.
The bottom line is Weiner is a pervert, he is obviously guilty of sending this twitter, so what now? This is a real test for the MSM...he is a democrat so will they cover this up? Have you seen ANY difference in how the MSM "reports" news? How many times have Americans complained, commented on the lack o fbiased reporting and NOTHING EVER CHANGES. I am tired of living in the twilight zone, I am tired of hearing one side of the story, I am sick and tired of MSM telling us what they want us to hear....IT HAS GOT TO STOP, AMERICANS HAVE GOT TO TAKE THIS COUNTRY BACK!!
is a beautifull thing
Submitted by scarletandgold on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 6:24pm.
he sits there so smug ..he will be very popular on the cell block..and you cant blame nobody but your self you arrogant lil twit..
My opinion changed.
Submitted by Boil It Down on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 6:30pm.
I had no opinion on whether Weiner actually took a picture of himself and put in on a computer somewhere up until this exchange with Russert. Now I believe he did. Weiner looks him straight in the eye and refuses to answer the question. Reading his expressions, I believe he told Russert the truth, just not the truth to get him out of this mess. He made the message pretty clear.
It's conduct unbecoming to a Congressman in my opinion. -bidn-
More gag headlines:
Submitted by Slyrr on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 6:52pm.
The Democrat media won't report the scandal - they protect their pampered little darlings.
But for the REAL journalists and reporters out there, this creates a wealth of gag headlines.
'Loss of Wiener proves painful for DNC'
'Everyone laughs at Congressman's Wiener'
'Wiener story dismissed as too tiny to pursue'
This is all too coincidental.
Submitted by Gat New York on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 6:55pm.
This is all too coincidental. It was only a week ago when Weiner came out against Obama's Middle East policy speech and was visibly angered about Obama's position on Israel. Weiner was also an ardent advocate for Hillary Clinton during the New York primary for the Democratic nomination for President.
Obama and his people have a long history of dirty tricks and political assassinations going back to his primary for the U.S. Senate Democratic nomination.
It is also a little too coincidental how ardently the liberal media is going after Weiner and evidently trying to force a situation that will result in his resigning which would allow Obama to have a Democrat more loyal to him in that district.
I don't know if his Twitter account was hacked into or not, but the coverage of this is all too coincidental and inconsistent with other coverage of Democrats.
No Oscar, Mayor Weiner!
Submitted by Cool Arrow on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 6:57pm.
With bad acting like this, I don't expect Mister Weiner will have much success in his bid for mayor of NYC.
Popcorn time
Submitted by Redrowan2000 on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 7:08pm.
This is great because we all know he is lying and will get bagged for this eventually. Either by the media God forbid or his wife. A U.S. congressman who has had his account hacked and he doesn't want the FBI or other law enforcement to look into it. Now it's just a prank.
If he did have a law enforcement agency look into it he would be facing the Martha Stewart syndrome of lying to federal authorities or some other law enforcement arm, and, if it do go further we would see some big time perjury charges against this smug , arrogant Wiener. It's great when these types go down.
"Don't let the bastards grind you down."
The question on the table is, if it's not Weiner's weiner, ...
Submitted by jawebster1 on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 7:47pm.
then whose weiner is it? (I have to give credit where credit belongs, so thank you Mark Levin for coming up with that.)
What did you think when he said
Submitted by Boudin on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 8:01pm.
"I wonder if Hillary still likes Wiener?"
I"thought" I was gonna die, : ]
Gosh I hope
Submitted by Chaitealover on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 7:51pm.
O'Reilly has the body language lady on his show to comment on any or all of Weiner's appearances to explain this event.
Weiner on Fox.
Submitted by Newsbubba on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 7:58pm.
What a schmuck! Weiner all but said that he didn't recognize his own wiener!
I cannot imagine that this boob doesn't spend hours checking his own package in front of the mirror with great admiration.
Hey, maybe that's his defense. He was soooo busy checking out his own hoo hoo that someone sneaked into the room, grabbed the phone and tweeted his tootie without him even knowing. Hey, it could happen. He's a democrap, after all.
The only thing surprising about this whole sorted episode is that Barney Fwank ain't in the picture with his tongue hanging out. Guess that would be asking too much.
zoom
Submitted by Tjexcite on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 8:05pm.
When the photo was sent he was typing with one hand and had the camera set on high zoom.
Guilty. Liar. Plain and
Submitted by fatboy on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 8:16pm.
Guilty. Liar. Plain and simple.
He seemed rigid and detached
Submitted by vote24 on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 8:23pm.
How would Wiener be behaving if his account truly was hacked?
LUKE Russert? Why is it
Submitted by Rusty Shackleford on Thu, 06/02/2011 - 12:25am.
LUKE Russert?
Why is it the media and the entertainment industry is loaded with people who are successful only because their mother or father was successful in the industry? I remember when Bush "Jr" (as they called him) was in office we'd often hear criticism about his getting the job because his daddy had it too.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chris Matthews: The Joy Behar of MSNBC.
Bill Maher: The Joy Behar of HBO.
Paul Krugman: The Joy Behar of The New York Times.
cyber-attacks as acts of war
Submitted by Injest on Fri, 06/03/2011 - 6:05am.
Question:
If a hacker can get into a Congressman government issued devices BlackBerry computer and so on, can the hacked get into Government controlled things like computer?
If yes, then how is this "no big deal?
Perhaps CNN should watch some news channels so they can keep up!
Washington moves to classify cyber-attacks as acts of war | World ...
May 31, 2011 ... "If you shut down our power grid, maybe we will put a missile down one ..... Peter Warren: Barack Obama made an initial review of US cyber ..
Pentagon has concluded that the laws of armed conflict can be widened to embrace cyberwarfare
Tuesday 31 May 2011 23.27 BST
The US government is rewriting its military rule book to make cyber-attacks a possible act of war, giving commanders the option of launching retaliatory military strikes against hackers backed by hostile foreign powers.
Pentagon officials disclosed the decision to the Wall Street Journal, saying it was designed to send a warning to any hacker threatening US security by attacking its nuclear reactors, pipelines or public networks such as mass transport systems. "If you shut down our power grid, maybe we will put a missile down one of your smokestacks," an official said.