Worse Than Weiner? Some Delinquent Lawmakers Kept Their Jobs

Andrew Burton/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Following his admission to engaging in inappropriate electronic relationships with several women, Anthony Weiner announced Thursday that he would be resigning from office.

While Weiner’s actions cost him his job, there were some politicians in the past who found themselves in hot water and managed to keep their jobs while not having to deal with calls to resign.

When Democratic Rep. William Jefferson of Louisiana was indicted on 16 federal counts in 2007, neither then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi nor Majority Leader Steny Hoyer ever explicitly called on him to step down.

Jefferson, who denied wrongdoing, served out his term despite the swirling allegations and intensive ethics investigations, and was only later tried, found guilty and sentenced to prison.

Pelosi and other party leaders also avoided public calls for the resignation of Rep. Jim Traficant of Ohio before he was expelled from Congress in 2002 after a felony conviction, or of Rep. Charles Rangel of New York, who was found guilty of 11 violations of House ethics rules and formally censured late last year.

Few political historians could recall when a sitting U.S. president so directly suggested that a member of Congress step down, as President Obama did regarding Weiner.

"Usually, presidents stay out of this stuff because it's just tradition for Congress to decide its own matters," said Princeton University political historian Julian Zelizer.

"The irony of the Weiner situation is that there have been scandals when the leadership has been much more quiet in both parties," he added.

Prominent Republicans, including House Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor, who had also called on Weiner to resign, have declined to make similar pronouncements following alleged transgressions of their conservative peers.

Republican Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana, who admitted ties to the so-called D.C. Madam prostitution ring and later apologized, may have actually committed a crime of soliciting a prostitute. But he remains in office.

During the months-long investigation into Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., and his alleged cover up of a sex scandal with the wife of his former top aide, there were similarly no prominent public calls for him to resign.

The Senate Ethics Committee eventually concluded that Ensign made false statements to the Federal Election Commission and violated campaign finance laws and referred the case to the Justice Department for possible criminal charges. Ensign abruptly resigned just before the findings were released

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

ABC News Exclusive: President Obama Talks Fatherhood

Official White House Photo by Annie Leibovitz(WASHINGTON) -- With Father's Day drawing near, President Obama sat down with ABC's Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts in an exclusive interview and shared some thoughts about fatherhood.

Obama and his wife, Michelle, 47, have two daughters, Sasha, 10, and Malia, 12.

The president, 49, opened up about what it was like to become a father for the first time, describing a scene that he says unfolded like the "the classic comical father situation."

When his wife told him she believed it was time to go to the hospital, he said his reaction was "like out of a sitcom.

"You know, I jump up and I'm looking for the bag. And fumbling for the car keys … ."

But, when he saw his daughter for the first time "it was love at first sight," he said.

As a father, the president said his chief worry was for his two daughters' health.

"One of my worst days was when Sasha, when she was 3 months old, got meningitis. And we rushed her to the emergency room. And … there was a stretch of time where we didn't know whether it might do permanent damage," he said.

Sasha had to have a spinal tap.

"You know … your world narrows to a very small point. That's all you care about," he said.

Asked whether he and the first lady were ready for what could happen when the girls became teenagers, he was very much the proud father.

"Number one. Malia and Sasha, for whatever reasons – and I think Michelle gets the lion's share of the credit – are right now just wonderful kids. They're smart, they're funny. But most importantly, they're kind, they're respectful, they're responsible, they're well-behaved. I could not ask for better kids. And so, I'm not anticipating complete mayhem for the next four, five years," he said.

He jokingly added: "I should also point out that I have men with guns that surround them often … ," adding that that security was "a great incentive" for running for re-election.

Any potential future boyfriends might want to take note.

"I might invite him over to the Oval Office," Obama said of any boys who could be in the girls' future, "ask him for his GPA. Find out what his intentions are, in terms of career.

He added: "Malia, Sasha, if you're watching this, I'm just joking."

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Michele Bachmann Latest GOP Candidate to Suffer Glitter Attack

ABC News(WASHINGTON) -- Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann got a warm reception from her home state on Saturday at a conference of conservative bloggers in Minneapolis, but a few gay rights protesters still managed to make her the latest victim of the glitter attacks that have already been waged on fellow GOP presidential candidates Newt Gingrich and Tim Pawlenty.

Following her speech at the RightOnline conference Saturday morning, Bachmann had some glitter thrown on her as she made her way off stage to greet the audience.

After the brief glitter shower, the protester was swiftly removed by security.

"You can run, but you can't hide," the protester yelled as she was hauled off.

Meanwhile, Bachmann proceeded to work the ropeline, seemingly unfazed by the incident.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Obama's Weekly Address: Reflecting on Fatherhood

Pete Souza/The White House(WASHINGTON) -- In his weekly address, President Obama reflects on fatherhood, calling it “my hardest, but always my most rewarding job.”
 
The president details how the absence of his own father has inspired him to be a better parent. “I grew up without my father around. He left when I was two years old, and even though my sister and I were lucky enough to have a wonderful mother and caring grandparents to raise us, I felt his absence.  And I wonder what my life would have been like had he been a greater presence. That’s why I’ve tried so hard to be a good dad for my own children,” he says
 
Obama goes on to explain what children need most from their parents are time, structure -- “Malia and Sasha may live in the White House these days, but Michelle and I still make sure they finish their schoolwork, do their chores and walk the dog” --  and unconditional love.
 
He points out that many fathers don’t have the time or resources to be as good as fathers as they would like to be, in part due to the state of the economy, and touts his administration’s efforts to offer “men who want to be good fathers a little extra support.”
 
“Our kids are pretty smart.  They understand that life won’t always be perfect, that sometimes, the road gets rough, that even great parents don’t get everything right. But more than anything, they just want us to be a part of their lives,” he says.
 
The president shares that, despite his busy schedule, he has taken on a “second job” to spend more time with his daughter Sasha: assistant coach for her basketball team.
 
“It was a lot of fun -- even if Sasha rolled her eyes when her dad voiced his displeasure with the refs,” he says. “I was so proud watching her run up and down the court, seeing her learn and improve and gain confidence.  And I was hopeful that in the years to come, she’d look back on experiences like these as the ones that helped define her as a person -- and as a parent herself.”      
 
“In the end, that’s what being a parent is all about -- those precious moments with our children that fill us with pride and excitement for their future; the chances we have to set an example or offer a piece of advice; the opportunities to just be there and show them that we love them.”

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

GOP Address: Sen. Hoeven Says International Trade Will Bring Jobs

U.S. Senate(WASHINGTON) -- North Dakota Senator John Hoeven zeroes in on U.S. fiscal challenges, particularly how international trade could help cut the deficit and create jobs in this week's Republican address.

Hoeven says the legacy of a what was once the "freest, most dynamic economy the world had ever seen" is now in jeopardy, with spending 60 percent in excess of what the country is bring in.

But Hoeven says it is not too late to embrace the vision of a "strong, peaceful, prosperous America."

"We have an opportunity right now to advance that vision and jumpstart the nation's economy.  Robust international trade can help us do it, and we can start by ratifying long-pending free-trade agreements with South Korea, Columbia and Panama," he says in the address.

He continues to call out President Obama for delaying the progress of these trade agreements.

"All of these agreements have been languishing for years, but with a 9.1 percent unemployment rate, and a spiraling deficit, the President can no longer hold these agreements back.  Currently, he is holding them up in order to negotiate the Trade Adjustment Assistance Program.  TAA can be addressed separately in the context of Trade Promotion Authority as it generally has been in the past since 1974."

Hoeven asserts that America has led the way for free trade in the past and should continue to do so in the future.  He uses South Korea as an example, citing a recent visit to the country with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and other senators.  There they met with President Lee Myung-bak and Korean business leaders about a trade agreement with the U.S.  Hoeven says that South Korea is appreciative to the U.S. for sacrificing "to give them a free society and a free-market economy where they could pursue their dreams."  As for a trade agreement, "They expect for us to lead the way because -- to South Korea and nations around the world -- America has always been a beacon of liberty and opportunity."

But why free trade?  Hoeven says, "these free trade agreements are an even bigger deal for America.  The South Korean Free Trade Agreement alone will increase our nation's exports to that country by more than $10 billion and create 280,000 American jobs."  Hoeven adds that for every four percent increase in exports, one million new jobs could be generated for Americans.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Bachmann Hones Same Themes Friday that Made Her a Star Monday

ABC News(NEW ORLEANS) -- With tongue planted firmly in a well-rouged cheek, Michele Bachmann told a meeting of Republican activists Friday that she would rise to the difficult challenge of cutting federal spending for liberal sacred cows.

“Cutting spending for Planned Parenthood will be very hard. Cutting spending for NPR, very hard. Cutting spending for bullet trains to nowhere will be very hard… and this is going to be the hardest -- cutting spending for the Cowboy Poetry Festival,” Rep. Bachmann, R- Minn., told the Republican Leadership Conference Friday in New Orleans.

Capping what has been a very good week for the three-term Minnesota congresswoman, Bachmann hit on many of the same conservative themes and applause lines that made her the breakout star of the GOP pack during a televised debate on Monday.  

On Friday she worked to hone those same themes, seemingly practicing material for upcoming stump speeches, and made a point to appeal to each wing of the Republican party.

Bachmann said she alone can unite the sometimes disparate factions of the GOP, embracing the ideologies of fiscal conservatives, the religious right, libertarians, neocons and the Tea Party movement.

“We need to engage the strategy of the three-legged stool.  We need peace-through-strength Republicans and I’m one of those; We need fiscal conservatives and I’m one of those; And we most certainly need to add social conservatives, and I am one of those,” she said.

Since Monday’s debate in New Hampshire, at which she formally announced she would seek the presidency,  Bachmann has seen a jump in the polls, announced she is writing a memoir and appeared on several television news programs.

On Friday she again appeared on the same stage as many of those same contenders and in a bright white dress distinguished herself immediately from the drab dark suits worn by her all male competition.

Speaking before a sympathetic audience that applauded frequently, responded to her questions and rose in an ovation following her remarks, Bachmann used the stage to assail President Obama, attack his health care plan and call for dramatic cuts in federal spending.

She assailed the EPA, as an agency that has concocted concerns over global warming to push for cap-and-trade and tell you what “car you’re supposed to drive and what light bulb you’re supposed to use.”

To address each leg of that “three-legged stool” she attacked President Obama’s decision to attack Libya and reaffirmed her staunch anti-abortion position.

In a comment on Libya, Bachmann telegraphed a message to the religious right, subtly quoting a Bible passage while condemning Obama’s leadership.

“As president, we will lead from the front. We will be the head not the tail,” she said, quoting the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Ann Coulter: ‘This is Chris Christie's Year’

Governor's Office/Tim Larsen(NEW YORK) -- Conservative commentator and author Ann Coulter is a big fan of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie – so much so, she joked on ABC’s Top Line, that if Christie doesn’t run for president, “I’m his sworn enemy for life.”

If Christie doesn’t run, it’s a “foregone conclusion” that the current GOP frontrunner, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, will win the nomination in 2012, Coulter said.

“I think this is Chris Christie's year. And if Chris Christie doesn't run, I think no matter how much we talk about the other candidates -- and perhaps I will be as wrong as many other predictions are these days -- but I just think it's going to be Mitt Romney. And it's more fun to talk about a horse race, so we pretend that we don't all know that,” Coulter said.

“I tend to think it's a foregone conclusion, and that isn't a statement of preference necessarily. Unless a total star like Chris Christie jumps in, Republican primary voters, historically, have gone into the voting booth and voted for anyone whose name they've heard before. Sometimes that works out.”

Coulter said Christie, R-N.J., is the brightest star on a “farm team” of “stunning Republican talent” that she said includes Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach and Rep. Alan West, R-Fla.

Coulter tweaked former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty for attacking Romney’s health care plan only after being criticized for three days for not having done so at Monday’s GOP debate.

“You probably shouldn't bother with coming back three days later,” Coulter said. “I thought he was fine during the debate. I think a lot of people in the media didn't like the Republican debate, because there wasn't much infighting. They were keeping their fire focused on President Obama. As a Republican, I liked that.”

“But yeah, three days later, I'm not sure. I don't know -- maybe that's what they always do. It seems kind of rude to attack someone to his face.”

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Anthony Weiner Spotted Singing, Shopping with Pregnant Wife

Mario Tama/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Hours after Rep. Anthony Weiner announced his resignation from the House, he was spotted grocery shopping in Long Island with his pregnant wife, Huma Abedin, according to the New York Post.

Another shopper told the Post that while Weiner "sang quietly along to a '50s doo-wop song blaring from the store's speakers," and despite the shocking event in her life, Abedlin "was all smiles. She didn't look upset or anything."

Weiner resigned from the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday amid a growing sexting scandal.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Palin Shoots Down Report 2012 Decision Is Imminent

Sara D. Davis/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Sarah Palin will not be rushed.

The former Alaska governor posted a curt tweet Friday after The American Spectator ran a story titled "Palin Decision Expected Next Week." The story cited a Republican source saying Palin is expected to announce whether or not she'll enter the 2012 presidential race within a week.  

"Really? Hmm, guess they forgot to inform me what I'm 'expected to do' next wk," she wrote in response to the American Spectator tweet "Palin Decision Expected Next Wk."

C4Palin, the Twitter account and website that was co-founded by Palin adviser Rebecca Mansour, also rebuffed the conservative magazine with a tweet, saying that when Palin does "decide to announce @C4Palin will get the scoop." In a later tweet, C4Palin said they wanted to send "a tongue & cheek message to all anonymous sources. Quit making things up!"

Palin's refusal to rush her decision isn't stopping her from speculating about a White House run. On Judge Andrew Napolitano's Fox Business Network show Thursday night, she said she welcomes more chances to shake up the Obama administration.

"I would love to give the White House fits," she said, smiling. "Because, you know, I would love to stir it up even more and get the electorate to really start thinking about what the solutions are to these great challenges facing America and how it is that we're going to create jobs, how it is that we're going to get this economy back on the right track."

But Palin stopped short of saying she's the woman to come up with these solutions.

"I would love to be able to shake it up, but I also know it's not about me," she said, "it's not Sarah Palin personally, it's about a message."

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

House Republicans Ask Obama To Re-Sign Patriot Act

Official White House Photo(WASHINGTON) -- A group of House Republicans are calling on President Obama to re-sign the Patriot Act extension, this time with his own hand, and to vow never again to use an autopen to sign bills into law. The machine holds a pen and replicates the president's actual signature mechanically. A letter from 21 lawmakers to the president Friday reignites the debate over the constitutionality of using the device to sign legislation.

"Mr. President, it is clear that assigning a surrogate the responsibility of signing bills passed by Congress is a debatable issue, and could be challenged in court.  That being the case, our request is that, out of an abundance of caution, you affix your signature to S. 990 by personally re-signing the enrolled bill," the letter reads. "Furthermore, we ask that you commit to ending the practice of using an autopen to sign bills passed by Congress."

Congress passed the four-year extension of the Patriot Act in May. The only problem was the president was in France, meeting with G8 leaders, and the bill's provisions were set to expire at midnight.  

The White House decided that the president would the autopen, which is supposed to be used only with proper authorization from the president.

Article 1, section 7 of the United States Constitution states: "Every Bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it becomes a Law, be presented to the President of the United States; If he approve he shall sign it, but if not he shall return it..."

At the time, White House spokesman Nick Shapiro seemed to suggest this was a special circumstance. "Failure to sign this legislation posed a significant risk to U.S. national security," Shapiro said. "The President directed the use of the autopen to sign it."

In the past, the Obama administration has used an abundance of caution. The president re-took the Oath of Office on January 21, 2009 over concerns for adhering to the Constitution after a flub during his original oath at the inauguration.

The authors of the letter referenced the re-do, tell the president they "believe your signing legislation passed by the United States Congress is of equal importance."

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio