Weiner clings to power despite latest lewd photo

SCANDAL-SCARRED Anthony Weiner is clinging to his perch in US Congress despite new efforts to pry him away and a pair of developments that might inspire others in his position to give up the fight: A newly released X-rated photo that Weiner purportedly took of himself has turned up on the internet, and his wife of less than a year, Huma Abedin, is pregnant.

The baby on the way complicated an already ominous forecast for the 46-year-old congressman, who admitted on Monday that he had tweeted sexually charged photos and messages to six women he did not know, then lied about it to his wife, his family and his constituents.

Weiner has refused to resign even as more embarrassing details have emerged about his online communications with at least six women.

The furore began when Gennette Cordova received a photo of Weiner’s crotch in grey under-wear during an online conversation mostly in support of his politics.

She assumed the message was fake. “I have never sent him any suggestive messages,” the 21-year-old college student from Washington state told The New York Times.

His fellow Democrats have left little doubt they want him to reconsider his refusal to leave office — and fast.

“Having the respect of your constituents is fundamental for a member of Congress,” Pennsylvania representative Allyson Schwartz said, becoming the first of a handful of congressional Democrats to make her wishes explicitly clear.

There was no sign of a resignation, however, even as a photo purportedly showing Weiner’s genitals was published on the Gawker website.

Meanwhile, officials have confirmed that Huma Abedin, Weiner’s wife and a top aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, is about three months pregnant.