Representative Anthony D. Weiner new photos were reportedly taken in the locker room of the Congressional gym — were posted on the Internet on Sunday even as Democratic leaders in the House again called for Mr. Weiner to step down.Yet two prominent New York Democrats, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and Senator Charles E. Schumer, avoided the sharply worded criticisms of Mr. Weiner that came from the House Democratic leader, Nancy Pelosi, and other top House Democrats.
Pressure on Mr. Weiner to leave the House, and spare the Democratic Party from an increasingly embarrassing scandal, had been building all week, but intensified on Friday, after it was revealed that Mr. Weiner had traded private messages with a 17-year-old girl in Delaware. Ms. Pelosi called for Mr. Weiner to resign on Saturday, shortly after he said he was entering a psychological treatment center and seeking a leave of absence from the House to deal with a pattern of reckless online behavior with women.
Her statement was followed by ones from Representative Steve Israel of New York, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee.
Ms. Wasserman Schultz reiterated her position on Sunday, and was joined by Representative Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, the No. 2 House Democrat. Speaking on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Mr. Hoyer said Mr. Weiner’s “bizarre and unacceptable behavior” in texting suggestive photographs to young women would make it “extraordinarily difficult” for him to continue to represent his constituents effectively.
On Sunday, the entertainment Web site TMZ released 11 photographs of Mr. Weiner, taken from what it said was the House gym, raising new questions about his use of Congressional facilities during his online exchanges. One photograph showed Mr. Weiner posing with a towel covering his crotch. Another photo shows him in a blue tank-top posing on the gym floor. TMZ said the photos — some of which were taken by Mr. Weiner with a BlackBerry in a locker room — had been sent online to at least one woman.
Mr. Weiner’s spokeswoman, Risa Heller, declined to comment on Sunday.
In an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Ms. Wasserman Schultz said her decision to demand Mr. Weiner’s resignation had been prompted by his stubborn efforts to keep his Congressional seat. She said Democrats had been giving Mr. Weiner “some breathing room to be able to be circumspect, do the right thing, reach the conclusion that he needed to step back, and step down on his own.” When he had not done so by Saturday, she added, “it was important to weigh in.”
She called his behavior “completely unacceptable and indefensible.”
Though Ms. Wasserman Schultz said Mr. Wiener had been “incredibly apologetic” and “devastated” by his behavior, she added that his decision to take a leave of absence was not enough.
“At the end of the day, a member of Congress makes their own decision, and that’s certainly going to be up to Anthony Weiner,” Ms. Wasserman Schultz said. “But we have made it clear that he needs to resign, he needs to focus on getting his own personal issues in order.”
In a charged debate on “Meet the Press,” Ms. Wasserman Schultz sparred with the chairman of the Republican National Committee, Reince Priebus, who accused Democrats of dragging their feet on the Weiner affair.
Mr. Priebus said that for the first 10 days of the scandal, “the only job Nancy Pelosi was interested in saving was Anthony Weiner’s.”
“We’ve got leadership and a Democratic Party that are defending a guy that deserves no defense,” he said.
Ms. Wasserman Schultz replied that Mr. Priebus’s argument failed the “straight-face” test. She said Republican leaders had not called for the resignation of Senator David Vitter of Louisiana who in 2007 had admitted an unspecified “serious sin” after his telephone number appeared in the records of a Washington prostitution ring. She also mentioned John Ensign, Republican of Nevada, whose political fortunes plummeted in 2009 when he admitted to an affair with a former campaign staffer who was also the wife of a top aide.
Mr. Priebus responded he was “not defending these guys.”
In New York on Sunday, Mr. Cuomo said it was not his place to determine whether Mr. Weiner’s resignation would be good for the Democratic Party.
“This is a matter that is obviously very unfortunate on many levels — for Weiner, for the Weiner family, for all New Yorkers,” the governor told reporters at the National Puerto Rican Day Parade in Manhattan. “It’s basically a federal matter, so I don’t know that my involvement would be helpful or relevant.”
“Whether or not he should resign, that’s up to him, his constituents and the Democratic leadership,” Mr. Cuomo said.
Mr. Schumer, Mr. Weiner’s political mentor, issued a statement on Saturday describing himself as “heartbroken” over Mr. Weiner’s conduct and adding, “It’s clear he needs professional help, and I am glad he is seeking it.”
Mr. Schumer arrived at the beginning of the parade route about 90 minutes after Mr. Cuomo, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and other dignitaries began marching. When asked about Mr. Weiner, Mr. Schumer referred to his statement and would not comment further.
“I have nothing more to add,” he said. “Those of us who have been longtime friends of Anthony are heartbroken, and I’m just going to try to enjoy the parade today.”
