Sydney Elaine Leathers, the woman who was involved in the Anthony Weiner scandal, gave an interview with Inside Edition on Thursday, saying she “idealized” the New York City mayoral candidate.
“I was shocked because I didn’t think he would be so foolish to do the same thing all over again,” the 23-year-old Indiana woman said in a video that was posted on the BuzzFeed website.
Weiner, she said, was making campaign promises that he changed. “I am proof that is not true,” she wrote.
The scandal broke earlier this week when the site The Dirty broke the story, posting explicit chats and photos of Weiner, who used the alias Carlos Danger.
“I definitely cared about him,” she said, adding that she talked to him last April. She added that “our conversations were always of a very sexual nature.”
Weiner admitted to some of the allegations against him, but he stressed he would not remove himself from the race.
Lou Colagiovanni, a political blogger and writer who knows Leathers, told CNN that “she absolutely idealized this man,” referring to Weiner.
“She initially contacted him through Twitter,” he said. “She said that she was a fan.... I assume that based on how beautiful of a young lady that Sydney is, Anthony Weiner had no choice but to act on his instincts and go after any pretty young woman who gives him the time of day.”
Weiner, in e-mail to his supporters, apologized for the recent scandal, but stressed he wouldn’t quit.
“It was a terrible mistake that I unfortunately returned to during a rough time in our marriage,” he said. “After a lot of reflection, some professional help, and a general reorientation of my life, Huma has given me a second chance. I will never stop being grateful for that.”
