Sexting's Not Good Effect On Weiner's Career

Who would have thought that repeatedly sending lewd pictures to virtual strangers on the internet could damage your career? Not Anthony Weiner, apparently. The former congressman, mayoral candidate, and documentary subject was again implicated this week in an alleged sexting scandal — the third time in six years. Although he's suffered professionally from his sexting before, this most recent case appears to already be costing Weiner his career in significant ways.

Late on Sunday, The New York Post published a report alleging that Weiner was once again sexting a woman who was not his wife, Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin. The newspaper included alleged exchanges between the former congressman and the woman, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Weiner told the publication that he and the woman in question “have been friends for some time." He also said, "She has asked me not to comment except to say that our conversations were private, often included pictures of her nieces and nephews and my son and were always appropriate." The images and messages reported by The New York Post contradict that.

Before news of this new alleged activity broke, Weiner had dabbled in consulting and worked in a variety of other jobs, from punditry to (seriously) crisis management. But Weiner's work schedule appears to be shrinking further. Since The New York Post released its report alleging that he has continued to sext other women, he has been dropped by a number of his former professional connections. NY1, a news channel based in New York City to which he has occasionally contributed, told CNN Money that Weiner was on "indefinite leave" from the station. The New York Daily News also released a statement that it would not publish any of Weiner's columns in the future.

Of course, this isn't the first time the former congressman lost his job because of extramarital sexting. He stepped down from his role in Congress in 2011, and his 2013 New York mayoral campaign floundered when a second wave of allegations arose. In fall 2015, Weiner had a brief stint at the PR firm MWW, which dropped him after a few months, alleging that his presence caused the firm a large amount of "distraction."