“If you do believe in this butterfly effect, I’ve got the butterfly’s wings and its antennas,” Anthony Weiner stated to The New York Times about possibly marketing his infamous not-safe-for-work tweet that caused his political downfall as an NFT.
Not only had Weiner debated “cashing in” with his explisted tweet, he also considered selling the search warrant for his laptop seized by the FBI, a check that Trump wrote to one of his earlier campaigns and an email from Jon Stweart that holds an apology for making jokes at his expense, as an NFT (Non-fungible token).
Non-fungible tokens are a digital asset that represents real world objects such as art, music, in-game items and videos, playing cards and meme images. They’re generally encoded with the same underlying software as many cryptos.
NFTs have been around since 2014 but have increased in popularity over the years. Even if anyone can view the individual images or even the entire collage of images online for free, buying an NFT allows you to own the original item. Only one person can have ownership of the item at a time, making it as valuable as a collectors item in person. The only difference is that these are digital.
Anthony Weiner, 56, seeks self redemption from the past by looking away from politics and towards creating a platform that lets people buy and sell what he calls “political collectibles.” He told The New York Times that doing this could “create a new category that lets people buy and sell political collectibles as a form of political fund-raising and contributing.”
The fall of Anthony Weiner
May 27, 2011
An explicit photograph of Weiner’s bulge was posted to his twitter only to be deleted shortly after. He blames account hacking — which didn’t hold water due to it being a falsified story on his behalf — as the reason for the suggestive photo becoming public.
June 6, 2011
Admitting publicly during a Manhattan news conference he said he had panicked, deleted the tweet, then told a story that “I had been hacked.”
“At the outset, I’d like to make it clear that I have made terrible mistakes that have hurt the people I care about the most, and I’m deeply sorry. I have not been honest with myself, my family, my constituents, my friends and supporters, and the media.” Later adding, “once I realized I had posted it to Twitter, I panicked, I took it down, and said that I had been hacked. I then continued with that story to stick to that story, which was a hugely regrettable mistake. This woman was unwittingly dragged into this and bears absolutely no responsibility. I am so sorry to have disrupted her life in this way. To be clear, the picture was of me, and I sent it.”
Anthony Weiner also admitted his engagement in several inappropriate conversations over the past three years with women over Twitter, Facebook, email exchanges and on occasions over phone calls. Repeatedly apologizing to both his wife, both their families and to the women affected before the conference ended.
June 16, 2011
Weiner announced he’s stepping down from New York Congress because the “distractions [he had] created” days prior become a distraction.
“I am here today to again apologize for the personal mistakes I have made and the embarrassment I have caused. I make this apology to my neighbors and my constituents but I make it particularly to my wife, Huma. I had hoped to be able to continue the work that the citizens of my district elected me to do: to fight for the middle class and those struggling to make it.
Unfortunately, the distraction that I have created has made that impossible, so today I’m announcing my resignation from Congress, so my colleagues can get back to work, my neighbors can choose a new representative and most importantly that my wife and I can continue to heal from the damage I have caused.”
May 21, 2013
In a video posted on his campaign website, Weiner announced he’ll be running for mayor of New York City. Only to land a distant fifth place on September 11, 2013 in the mayoral race.
September 4, 2013
In Brooklyn’s Borough Park neighborhood, a man yelled out to Weiner, “you’re a real scumbag, Anthony,” only to add “married to an Arab.” The man continues to shout “you’re disgusting” to Weiner as he walks out the door. The former congressman couldn’t help but respond back with “it takes one to know one.” This then led to a verbal confirmation.
July 23, 2013
A gossip website named The Dirty, published screenshots (had been removed from the site but documented by BuzzFeed News) of exchanges on Facebook and on a lesser-known social network called Formspring that consisted of sexually exchanged messages that Weiner allegedly had with a woman last summer.
Weiner then admits the transcripts posted on the gossip site were partly real in a statement, hours later saying:
“I said that other texts and photos were likely to come out, and today they have. As I have said in the past, these things that I did were wrong and hurtful to my wife and caused us to go through challenges in our marriage that extended past my resignation from Congress. While some things that have been posted today are true and some are not, there is no question that what I did was wrong. This behavior is behind me. I’ve apologized to Huma and am grateful that she has worked through these issues with me and for her forgiveness. I want to again say that I am very sorry to anyone who was on the receiving end of these messages and the disruption that this has caused. As my wife and I have said, we are focused on moving forward.”
June 13, 2014
Another apology was made by Anthony Weiner for favoriting a tweet that promoted Tinder as the “ultimate sext machine.” He explained how it was an accident because “there were a bunch of favorites there that I either didn’t recognize or mean to favorite. I’m not clear on how they got marked in the first place but I assume [they] hit the little star thing accidentally as I scrolled through stuff.”
August 28, 2016
The New York Post (caution: explicit imagery featured in NYP article) reported that former congressman Weiner had been sending explicit messages and photos to a woman out West for more than a year.
The exchange of images featured one photo sent by Weiner of himself clearly aroused in bed with his young son sleeping next to him.
After the New York Post posted about his recent scandal, Anthony Weiner deleted his Twitter account.
August 29, 2016
Huma Abedin announced her separation from former US Rep. Anthony Weiner.
Monica Alba shared the statement on Twitter:
After long and painful consideration and work on my marriage, I have made the decision to separate from my husband. Anthony and I remain devoted to doing what is best for our son, who is the light of our life. During this difficult time, I ask for respect for our privacy.
NY1 and multiple other news organizations announced they were cutting ties with Anthony Weiner after hearing of his involvement in yet another sexting scandal.
September 21, 2016
Allegations of a sexting relationship between Anthony Weiner, 51, and a 15-year-old girl, was reported by the Daily Mail. (caution: explicit content featured in Daily Mail article)
The girl (whose name won’t be released by the Daily Planet because she was a minor at the time) told the Daily Mail that their online relationship began last January when she was a high school sophomore. That their relationship started before Huma Abedin announced the end of her marriage with Weiner.
September 22, 2016
The New York Police Department, FBI and a U.S. district attorney started investigating former congressman Anthony Weiner and his recent sexting involvement with a 15-year-old girl.
According to CNN, prosecutors in the office of US Attorney Preet Bharara issued a subpoena for Anthony Weiner’s cell phone and other records including a laptop.
May 19, 2017
Anthony Weiner, 52, pleaded guilty to the allegations of being sexually involved with a minor and then registered as Level 1 sex offender by a judge in the Bronx.
Acting US Attorney Joon H. Kim of the Southern District of New York said “Today, former Congressman Anthony Weiner admitted and pleaded guilty to sending sexually explicit images and directions to engage in sexual conduct to a girl he knew to be 15 years old. Weiner’s conduct was not only reprehensible, but a federal crime, one for which he is now convicted and will be sentenced.”
In a prepared statement to make in Southern District Court in New York, former Rep. Anthony Weiner said:
Beginning with my service in Congress and continuing into the first half of last year, I have compulsively sought attention from women who contacted me on social media, and I engaged with many of them in both sexual and non-sexual conversation. These destructive impulses brought great devastation to family and friends, and destroyed my life’s dream of public service. And yet I remained in denial even as the world around me fell apart.
In late January 2016, I was contacted by and began exchanging online messages with a stranger who said that she was a high school student and who I understood to be 15 years old. Through approximately March 2016, I engaged in obscene communications with this teenager, including sharing explicit images and encouraging her to engage in sexually explicit conduct, just as I had done and continued to do with adult women. I knew this was as morally wrong as it was unlawful.
This fall, I came to grips for the first time with the depths of my sickness. I had hit bottom. I entered intensive treatment, found the courage to take a moral inventory of my defects, and began a program of recovery and mental health treatment that I continue to follow every day.
I accept full responsibility for my conduct. I have a sickness, but I do not have an excuse. I apologize to everyone I have hurt. I apologize to the teenage girl, whom I mistreated so badly. I am committed to making amends to all those I have harmed. Thank you.
As part of the plea agreement he will forfeit his iPhone, surrender his passport and continue mental health treatment. He was sentenced to serve 21 months in prison.
May 14, 2019
At age 54, the tarnished politician was released from federal custody. He was to be released earlier due to good behavior, according to CNN in their article posted on Oct. 9, 2018.
Under the specification, Weiner must register as a sex offender for 20 years and is required to verify his address every year with a state agency. According to state regulations, he must report to the local police every three years to have his picture taken.
In a video posted by Fox News, he said he hopes “to be able to live a life of integrity and service.” Adding “I’m glad this chapter of my life is behind me.”
June 6, 2021
Anthony Weiner, 56, seeks self redemption from the past by looking away from politics and towards creating a platform that lets people buy and sell what he calls “political collectibles.” Telling The New York Times that doing this could “create a new category that lets people buy and sell political collectibles as a form of political fund-raising and contributing.”
