#Weinergate! — Rep. Anthony Weiner Retains Legal Counsel!

At The Other McCain: "BREAKING: Weiner Lawyers Up!"

And linked there is Politico, "Anthony Weiner hires attorney in Twitter incident" (via Memeorandum):

New York Rep. Anthony Weiner has retained an attorney to advise him “what civil or criminal actions should be taken” after a lewd picture was sent from his Twitter account.

Weiner, who has represented part of New York City since 1998, says online hacking led to a close-up shot of a man’s underwear being sent from his official Twitter account Saturday night.

Dave Arnold, a spokesman for Weiner, said the Congressman’s staff is “loathe to treat” this incident as more than a prank “but we are relying on professional advice.”

“At a time when the GOP is playing games with the debt limit, a member of the Supreme Court is refusing to recuse himself from matters he has a financial interest in, and middle class incomes are stagnant, many want to change the subject,” Weiner said in a statement emailed to POLITICO by his office. “I don’t. This was a prank, and a silly one. I’m focused on my work.”

Weiner’s office did not answer specific questions about the photograph, whether he has contacted authorities or the Seattle woman who received the photograph. He has said that his Facebook was hacked and if his Twitter had the same password, that too could be vulnerable.

Also, check the #Weinergate hashtag on Twitter, where the essential coverage has been developing.

Image Credit: The People's Cube.

ADDED: At Daily Caller, "Weiner spokesman: ‘We’ve retained counsel to explore’ possible ‘civil or criminal actions’."

More: Mediaite has video from Weiner's CNN interview today: "CNN First To Track Down Rep. Anthony Weiner For TV Comment On Twitter Scandal." And Dana Bash's report at CNN, "Liberal congressman involved in Twitter controversy over lewd photo."