Let us be crystal clear about who is responsible for Weiner's resignation.

Despite President Barack Obama’s advice to Congressmember Anthony Weiner that if he was in the beleaguered lawmaker’s shoes he would resign, Weiner continued to hold out against top Democrats and many others who have asked him to quit Congress because of his revealed sexting problems.

“I can tell you that if it was me, I would resign,” the president answered to TV coanchor Ann Curry when she asked the president what he would do if he was in Weiner’s position.

But Weiner refused to budge from his standfast position, repeating he wouldn’t make a move until he discussed his calamitous problem with his pregnant wife, Huma Abedin, who was expected to be returning yesterday from a diplomatic mission to Africa with her boss, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

In addition to the president’s first public mention of Weiner’s tawdry behavior, Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi continued her furious offensive against Weiner, demanding he resign. But Weiner told her he is considering taking a leave of absence, but still refusing to quit.

The Honorable Justice Clarence Thomas
United States Supreme Court Building
1 First Street Northeast
Washington, D.C. 20543

Dear Justice Thomas:

As an Associate Justice, you are entrusted with the responsibility to exercise the highest degree of discretion and impartiality when deciding a case. As Members of Congress, we were surprised by recent revelations of your financial ties to leading organizations dedicated to lobbying against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. We write today to respectfully ask that you maintain the integrity of this court and recuse yourself from any deliberations on the constitutionality of this act.

The appearance of a conflict of interest merits recusal under federal law. From what we have already seen, the line between your impartiality and you and your wife's financial stake in the overturn of health care reform is blurred. Your spouse is advertising herself as a lobbyist who has "experience and connections and appeals to clients who want a particular decision - they want to overturn health care reform. Moreover, your failure to disclose Ginny Thomas's receipt of $686,589 from the Heritage Foundation, a prominent opponent of health care reform, between 2003 and 2007 has raised great concern.

This is not the first case where your impartiality was in question. As Common Cause points out, you “participated in secretive political strategy sessions, perhaps while the case was pending, with corporate leaders whose political aims were advanced by the <5-4> decision on the Citizens United case. Your spouse also received an undisclosed salary paid for by undisclosed donors as CEO of Liberty Central, a 501(c)(4) organization that stood to benefit from the decision and played an active role in the 2010 elections.

Given these facts, there is a strong conflict between the Thomas household's financial gain through your spouse's activities and your role as a Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. We urge you to recuse yourself from this case. If the U.S. Supreme Court's decision is to be viewed as legitimate by the American people, this is the only correct path.

We appreciate your thoughtful consideration of this request.

Sincerely,
ANTHONY D. WEINER
Member of Congress