New photographs of a partially-nude Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) surfaced on Sunday in a report from TMZ.com.
The dispatch of pictures appear to have been taken by Weiner himself in what is said to be the House Members Gym. TMZ.com reports that it has confirmed the location of where the photos were taken by the lawmaker on his Blackberry and says that it has confirmed they were sent to at least one woman.
(Below, one of the images from TMZ. Click here to view all the photos released by the website.)
A senior House Democrat has renewed her demand that Weiner "do the right thing" and resign from the House because of a sexting scandal on Sunday.
Republicans, who've been keeping a low profile, are now accusing Democrats of showing poor leadership in dealing with Weiner.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the party chairman, said during an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday that she and other Democratic leaders "have made clear that he needs to resign."
But she says that "at the end of the day a member of Congress makes their own decision."
Weiner says he is seeking treatment but will not resign.
Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus is criticizing Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi for not moving more quickly.
He says Democratic leaders are "defending a guy who deserves no defense."
Weiner's plan leaves top Democrats wrestling with how best to end the furor over the seven-term congressman's misdeeds that could hurt the party's prospects in the 2012 elections.
Weiner's announcement that he would request a leave from Congress came shortly after several Democratic Party leaders demanded he quit on Saturday. The Weiner spectacle, with raunchy online photos and messages, has been a huge embarrassment for Democrats who back in 2006 made GOP ethics misdeeds a part of their successful campaign to win control of the House.
"This sordid affair has become an unacceptable distraction for Representative Weiner, his family, his constituents and the House," Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the party chairwoman, said in a written statement calling for the 46-year-old married lawmaker from New York City to step down.
The House Democratic leader, Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, said Weiner "has the love of his family, the confidence of his constituents and the recognition that he needs help. I urge Congressman Weiner to seek that help without the pressures of being a member of Congress."
Aides said later that Pelosi had been aware of Weiner's plan to enter treatment when she issued her statement, and her call for a resignation had not changed because of it.
Weiner's spokeswoman, Risa Heller, said in a statement that the congressman departed Saturday morning "to seek professional treatment to focus on becoming a better husband and healthier person. In light of that, he will request a short leave of absence from the House of Representatives so that he can get evaluated and map out a course of treatment to make himself well."
The statement did not say where he would receive treatment, or what type was involved.
The developments occurred one day after Weiner acknowledged he had exchanged online messages with a 17-year-old girl in Delaware. He said nothing improper had passed between the two of them.
CNN reports that the family of the teen issued a statement on Sunday saying the interactions "were not salacious or in any manner inappropriate."
Democrats said the concerted call for his resignation had been brewing for days, as senior party officials concluded the scandal was interfering with their effort to gain political momentum in advance of the 2012 elections.
