(CNN) — President Barack Obama believes U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner was wrong to send a lewd picture of himself over Twitter and then lie about it, and the continuing scandal surrounding the New York Democrat is a distraction from important national business, White House spokesman Jay Carney said today.
Carney’s comments were the first by the administration since the scandal broke in late May.
“The president feels, we feel at the White House, this is a distraction, as Congressman Weiner has said himself, his behavior was inappropriate; dishonesty was inappropriate,” Carney said aboard Air Force One during a trip to Raleigh, North Carolina.
“But the president is focused on his job, which is getting this economy continuing to grow, creating jobs and ensuring the safety and security of the American people.”
Weiner has been in the spotlight since a lewd photograph of the congressman became public after it was sent to a woman over the Twitter social networking service.
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After initially claiming that his account had been hacked, Weiner admitted that he sent the picture and had engaged in several inappropriate relationships with women he had met online.