Former anti-gun congressman Anthony Weiner drew a 21-month prison sentence for sexting with a minor. (YouTube, MSNBC)
The downfall of former Democratic U.S. Congressman Anthony Weiner, the diehard New York anti-gunner, came only a couple of weeks after another high-profile anti-gun Democrat took a tumble at the far end of the country.
Former Seattle Mayor Ed Murray has dropped so fast off the public radar after his resignation following a string of decades-old sexual abuse allegations that it’s almost like he was never there. Murray had an anti-gun career in the State Legislature and as Seattle mayor.
In the Senate back in 2013, he sponsored legislation to ban so-called “assault weapons” that would have allowed warrantless searches of gun owners’ homes by sheriff’s deputies to check how such guns were being stored. As mayor, he hastily signed the city’s disastrous “gun violence tax” that has driven one business out of the city and failed miserably on two levels.
First, the gun tax revenue has fallen far short of the forecast, a fact revealed reluctantly by the city only after losing a Public Records Act lawsuit filed by the senior editor of TheGunMag.com (formerly Gun Week). The tax has actually cost the city money.
Second, the gun tax evidently hasn’t prevented a single crime. According to Seattle Police data, as of Sept. 20, the city was ahead of last year in reported shootings (52) and homicides involving firearms (11). By this time last year, there had been 42 shootings, including eight that were fatal.
The number of reported “shots fired” incidents is also up, 278 over last year’s 259 by this time.
Murray strenuously denied the allegations, even after he was accused by a cousin. That was the accusation that finally caused the openly-gay mayor to resign Sept. 13.
Back in New York Monday, Weiner was sentenced to 21 months of federal confinement after having pleaded guilty to one count of transferring obscene material to a minor. His behavior now the subject of jokes, there is some suggestion he may be out in 18 months with time off for good behavior.
Weiner had served in Congress for several years, representing the same 9th Congressional District as perennial anti-gun Democrat Charles Schumer, following service on the New York City Council. During his time on Capitol Hill, he apparently never saw a gun control scheme he didn’t embrace. Rated “F” by the National Rifle Association, Weiner voted against prohibiting junk lawsuits against firearm manufacturers on two different occasions. He voted against reducing the waiting period on gun show purchases from three days to one day.
The 53-year-old former hipster politician, who tried to salvage his disgraced career five years ago by running unsuccessfully for New York mayor, is supposed to report for confinement by Nov. 6. His soon-to-be ex-wife Huma Abedin was absent from the courtroom.
Perhaps Howie Carr, the Boston radio personality, summed it up Tuesday in the Boston Herald for legions of Weiner critics when he wrote:
“Remember Gov. Eliot Spitzer — ‘Client No. 9?’ He pleaded guilty to spending tens of thousands of dollars on high-end hookers. He seemed like the absolute bottom of the Democrat barrel, but no!
“The alt-left media liked Client No. 9, but they really loved Weiner. Just look at him — he’s the very picture of a modern Democrat. Beady eyes, sweaty palms, unctuous pandering, secret perv life, lie after lie after lie …”
The New York Post profiled Weiner’s cliff-jump from grace back in January 2016. He not only humiliated himself, but also Abedin, who was a close Clinton aide. When an FBI investigation uncovered possible links between his laptop and Clinton’s email controversy, it became a campaign issue less than two months before the election. Some people, including Clinton, suggest it contributed to her election loss to Donald Trump.
According to the New York Post, Weiner must pay a $10,000 fine and participate in sex offender outpatient treatment. He will be on supervised release for three years once he gets out of prison, and he reportedly “must undergo internet monitoring,” the Chicago Tribune reported.
Published reports also noted that during his sentencing Monday, his parents were in the courtroom, as was his brother. That may be the ultimate humiliation for the once dripping-with-arrogance congressman who had been viewed as a “rising star” in the Democratic Party.
