Sex, lies and underpants - how Twitter pic ended career of US politician

Three weeks after first posting a photo of himself in a state of apparent arousal on Twitter, New York representative Anthony Weiner announced his decision to step down. It brings a likely end to the promising political career of a rising Democrat star. It also marks the conclusion of a story that can be summarised as sex, lies and underpants.

Until posting a picture of himself in bulging grey jockey shorts on the micro-blogging website, Weiner, 46, had been tipped for great things. Many had even earmarked him as a potential future mayor of New York. He had previously run for the post in 2005.

But these political aspirations came to abrupt end on 28 May when he accidentally went public with the lewd snapshot. This mistake was followed by a series of PR gaffes that failed to kill off interest in what quickly - and somewhat predictably - became known as Weinergate.

The photo had been intended for Gennette Cordova, a pretty 21-year-old student from Seattle.But instead of sending it as a private message, the pic went up on the politician's Twitter feed.

In a clumsy attempt to disguise his error, Weiner, a brash and often jovial congressman, claimed his account had been hacked. But that explanation merely led to more questions being asked.

Reporters demanded to know who the man behind the bulge really was.

The politician's claim that he could not say "with certitude" whether it was him or not was met with incredulous looks. It also ensured Weiner remained the staple diet for satirists and late-night chat-show hosts.

After enduring days of humiliation and rumour, Weiner eventually came clean in a tearful press conference last week in which he admitted to "inappropriate conversations conducted over Twitter, Facebook, e-mail and occasionally on the phone". At least six women had received Mr Weiner's online advances, and he continued to engage in sex messaging even after his marriage last year to Huma Abedin, a top aide of secretary of state Hillary Clinton.

Further pictures soon emerged, some of which were of a more explicit nature than the original snapshot.

It all became too much for the Democratic elite. Having initially remained silent on the affair, a series of party bigwigs, including House minority leader Nancy Pelosi, called on him to step down in recent days.

Meanwhile, President Barack Obama was drawn to comment on the scandal. "If it was me, I would resign," he said on Monday, in a clear indication of what he felt the New York representative should do.

In a new twist on Wednesday, Ginger Lee, a former porn star, said Weiner had asked her to lie about their e-mail relationship. She claimed to have received around 100 messages from him.Having lost the trust of Democrat colleagues, it remains to be seen if Weiner can retain the support of his pregnant wife. She returned from an official trip to Africa on Wednesday, as her husband continued to "seek treatment" for an undisclosed condition.

It is thought the decision to resign came after he consulted with his wife. But giving the pressure on him from top Democrats, and the intervention of President Obama, it was clear that by yesterday Weiner had no real option other than to belatedly fall on his sword.