Two years – nearly to the day – before Rep. Anthony Weiner’s Memorial Day weekend was thrown into turmoil by the burgeoning “Weinergate” scandal, the New York Democrat offered some strong words on cyber-security that now carry quite a bit of irony.
For those unfamiliar with the basics of the Weinergate scandal, a photo of a male erection was sent on Friday from Weiner’s verified Twitter account to a 21-year-old Washington State coed. For a quick rundown of the full timeline as of Tuesday morning, check out Jonah Goldberg’s post on the topic.
Weiner, who has refused to initiate an official investigation into what he claims was a criminal “hack” (he later dubbed it a “prank”) into his Twitter account, insisted in May 2009 that “Cyber attacks…are real and demand immediate action.” But he warned against giving a government agency too much power, and called for a “balanced approach” to cyber security.
The New York Daily News reported the Congressman’s statement thusly:
That’s in response to President Obama’s move to appoint a cyber-security czar (the plan is after the jump) who Weiner doesn’t want to give up too much civilian control while protecting the country’s information grid.
“Cyber attacks — both foreign and domestic — are real and demand immediate action,” Weiner said. “But we need a balanced approach. It is important that we don’t give too much authority to a government agency that collects information and rarely shares it.”
Weiner’s call to act on cyber threats “immediate[ly]” seems all the more ironic given his hesitancy to involve law enforcement in the scandal that has dominated headlines since the tweet in question was sent on Friday evening.
One congressman, Republican Cliff Stearns of Florida, is even calling for an investigation into the alleged “hacking,” citing the same national security concerns to which Weiner paid lip service two years ago. The Daily Caller reported Tuesday:
But previous statements notwithstanding, Weiner was reluctant to involve law enforcement in what, if true, would amount to a fairly serious breach of Congress’s digital security. Even the congressman’s defenders must admit: it doesn’t look good.
UPDATE: The Daily Caller posted the following in an update this evening, apparently confirming that Weiner has no intention of supporting his colleague’s call for an investigation (h/t @PruPaine):
