Breaking: Wiener Faces New Calls for Resignation

The release of photos showing Michael Wiener in the red-light district of Angeles City in the Philippines triggered calls for his resignation Friday from his own party and a colleague on the County Commission.

Gov. Susana Martinez endorsed Wiener’s opponent and urged him to step down. Her office released this statement:

“Governor Martinez is deeply troubled by Commissioner Wiener’s pattern of behavior and earlier today endorsed his Republican primary opponent, Lonnie Talbert; she believes Commissioner Wiener should step down.”

Chris Collins, chairman of the Bernalillo County Republican Party, said he called Wiener on Thursday to press for an explanation of how he came to be photographed posing with scantily clad young women. The group’s executive committee will meet this weekend to discuss the matter.

“I have great concern over the content of the photos,” Collins told the Journal. “I spoke with him over the telephone on Thursday, when I asked him to resign.”

County Commissioner Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, also said Wiener ought to resign.

“There is a pattern of behavior and practices that’s not befitting of an elected official,” Grisham said.

Wiener, for his part, has said he was simply walking around Angeles City with his fiancee during an airline layover. A photographer, he said, asked to take his picture.

“When you have layover, you want to take a look around,” Wiener said earlier this week. “I was with my girlfriend. I did absolutely nothing untoward.”

I’ll have a roundup of more reaction in tomorrow’s paper. Here’s the original Journal story, with the photos.