Disgraced former Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) attempted to lay blame on the teenage girl he sent illicit photographs and messages to, saying that she told investigators that it was one of her goals to influence the outcome of the 2016 election. Weiner was convicted of transferring obscene material to a minor after his online "relationship" with a 15-year-old girl came to light. When Weiner's electronic devices were investigated, more emails related to then-candidate Hillary Clinton were uncovered, which forced the FBI to re-open their investigation right before election day.
In court, Weiner admitted that he was sick, but also tried to blame the girl.
The submission in Manhattan federal court referenced "Anthony's operatic self-destruction," referencing the crime as "the final act ... born of deep sickness." But it also blamed the girl, saying she has told investigators it had been a goal of hers to affect last year's election.
The court filing included letters from Weiner and his estranged wife, Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin, who appeared with him in state court earlier in the day at a divorce proceeding, looking more like a couple than not.
This is sick. Even if the girl was some sort of deep-cover intelligence agent e.g. Elizabeth Jennings from "The Americans" who was hell-bent on creating destruction and bringing down the United States, she was still 15 years old and he knew how old she was. That's all. In this country, 15 year olds aren't able to drive a car by themselves. They are not functional adults. We barely trust them to babysit. Their brains haven't developed yet. I don't know what the girl's motivations were in messaging Weiner that day on Twitter, but goodness gracious, he did not have to reply to her, never mind send her explicit pictures and texts and break the law. He's a grown man, and he should have known better than to do what he did. Everything that has happened is his own fault. It is not her fault, and to suggest otherwise is insane.
Anthony Weiner made his own bed. He needs to man up and accept this.