Howard Stern writer adds raw voice to Weiner spectacle - msnbc.com

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Benjy Bronk, a writer for "The Howard Stern Show," yells at Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) as he announces his resignation in New York on June 16.

If you watched or listened to either of Rep. Anthony Weiner's news conferences, you no doubt heard a heckler in the background.

What's your take on the Weiner heckler?

Hilarious. This whole spectacle is already ridiculous, why not add to it?Stupid and rude. This is a serious matter that demands some respect.Weiner and the heckler deserve each other in this tabloid world.VoteTotal Votes: 9771

During Weiner's first presser last week, where he apologized for sending inappropriate Twitter and Facebook messages, the heckler asked a pretty pointed question regarding the former congressman's anatomy (Weiner didn't answer).

And at Thursday's media gathering, heckling was the order of the day again, as Weiner was interrupted about four minutes in while announcing that he was resigning. "Yaaaaay! Buh-bye, pervert," yelled someone in the room.

Howard Stern writer Benjy Bronk, who those in attendance quickly identified, did not yell the pervert comment. But he certainly added his voice to the proceeding. He shouted another lewd question about the congressman's anatomy and asked a departing Weiner, "Will you maintain your hot physique and smooth sexy chest?"

Why was Bronk even there? Well, obviously to get material to use during "The Howard Stern Show." Bronk put it this way: "I'm trying to get to the truth and, uh, get on camera," Bronk told the New York Times.

Bronk tells Scoop, "I didnt go to make moral judgments, I went to make comedy ... but I shouldn't have interrupted him, that was wrong. I don't think of Anthony Weiner as a pervert, I think he's a horny guy who handled his thing wrong, and I think the words 'horny guy' are redundant."

If you missed the spectacle, you can take a look at the video (which features Bronk). Meantime, cast your vote about how you feel regarding the sideshow within the media circus.

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Obama steps up pressure on Weiner to resign (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama ramped up pressure on Monday on Democratic congressman Anthony Weiner to step down, calling his Internet sex scandal a distraction from the work that Washington needs to get done.

"I can tell you that if it was me, I would resign," Obama told NBC News shortly before the House of Representatives, without opposition, granted Weiner a two-week leave of absence while the New York congressman gets professional treatment.

Weiner, 46, has defied mounting calls from other leaders of his own party to step down after his belated admission last week that he sent online messages and lewd photos of himself to at least a half dozen women and lied about it.

Weiner's refusal to resign has angered Democrats, who say his inappropriate online exchanges with women have hurt the party as it looks ahead toward next year's elections when it will seek to win back the House from Republicans.

The congressman said through an aide over the weekend that rather than immediately step down he would seek a leave of absence from the House and treatment at an undisclosed facility.

"We think this is a distraction obviously from the important business that this president needs to conduct and Congress needs to conduct," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters aboard Air Force One as Obama headed to North Carolina to talk to business leaders about invigorating the conomy.

Later Monday, Obama told NBC, when asked about Weiner, "Public service is exactly that, it's a service to the public."

"When you get to the point where -- because of various personal distractions, you can't serve as effectively as you need to at the time when people are worrying about jobs, and their mortgages, and paying the bills -- then you should probably step back," the president said in his first comments on the matter.

Obama's trip on Monday to North Carolina was part of a stepped-up effort by the White House to show voters that he remains focused on job creation.

WEINER'S DAYS NUMBERED?

With the White House accusing Weiner of being an unwarranted distraction for the president, the fiery liberal may find it difficult to stay on.

Weiner, who was re-elected last November with 61 percent of the vote in his congressional district, has said his behavior was wrong but that he violated no laws.

It is unclear what, if anything, Congress can do to force Weiner to step down. A poll last week showed that most of his constituents think he should remain in his job.

The full House could vote to expel Weiner. But such punishment would be highly unusual unless it is found that he violated criminal law, not just the chamber's rules.

The House returned on Monday from a week-long recess, and the chamber's Democrats were to meet on Tuesday, with Weiner likely a chief topic.

A Democratic aide said they could pass a resolution urging Weiner to resign. While it would not be binding, it would show that Weiner faces a solid wall of opposition in his own party.

The Democratic caucus could also strip Weiner of his committee assignments and even tell him that he is no longer welcome at their meetings, the aide said. He now serves on the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi has requested an ethics probe to determine what, if any, House rules Weiner may have broken. The probe could take months, even up to a year.

(Additional reporting by Matt Spetalnick; editing by Will Dunham)

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