Liu Uses Spitzer's Entrance Into Comptroller Race To Attack Weiner

As I suspected might happen, sex scandal-plagued Eliot Spitzer's announcement that he is entering the race for New York City comptroller has given the mayoral candidates an invitation to attack Anthony Weiner on his own sex scandal.

Current comptroller John Liu took that opportunity today:

In the midst of the rising chatter that has erupted since Anthony Weiner and Eliot Spitzer launched their comeback campaigns for citywide offices, most of their rivals have stayed mum on the sex scandals that led to their initial downfalls.

But City Comptroller John Liu, who is running against Mr. Weiner for mayor and holds the office that Mr. Spitzer is now running for, addressed both scandals directly for the first time Monday afternoon after accepting an endorsement from the National Latino Officers Association on the steps of City Hall.

After giving his remarks, Mr. Liu set up the exchange, jokingly asking, “What other questions could there be?”

To no one’s surprise, there were quite a few. But what was surprising was how Mr. Liu used Mr. Spitzer’s entry into the race as an opportunity to aggressively confront both the former governor as well as Mr. Weiner.

“I don’t think it damages the reputation of the political system. I think on some level, this is a huge affront to women in New York City and far beyond. If you think about what these two individuals have been responsible for, and to continue the denigration of the women they’ve been involved with, this is–it just doesn’t smell right,” Mr. Liu said.

When Politicker asked whether he thought Mr. Spitzer and his Democratic rival, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, were qualified to succeed him in office, Mr. Liu reiterated his fiery disapproval of the conduct of the pair of scandal-scarred pols.

“That’s up for the people of this great city to decide,” said Mr. Liu,  as a campaign aide urged him to steer the conversation back to the endorsement. “But at some point, between Spitzer and Weiner, it just seems like the women of this city should be incensed. I can’t claim to be a woman, but I’m incensed for the sheer disrespect that this–the calls for redemption this year have been–have taken taken place in this city.”

Weiner has been treated with kid gloves so far in this campaign.

With Spitzer's return to politics, it looks like the kid gloves are coming off.

It's about time.

Weiner shouldn't be getting the kid glove treatment in this race, not with so many unanswered questions surrounding his past behavior.

As I wrote in an earlier post:

There are still questions over his text communications with a seventeen year that have never been answered by Weiner that need to be answered before he takes charge of New York City as mayor (and the New York City school system in the bargain.)

Still waiting to have someone address those questions straight up, but we might be getting closer to that point now.