Paulsen not Calling for Weiner's Resignation—Yet

Rep. Erik Paulsen (R—MN) lashed out Tuesday against the behavior of fellow U.S. Congressman Anthony Weiner (D—NY), who on Monday admitted to sending graphic photos of himself to women he met online.

Citing continually developing information, Paulsen declined to call for Weiner's outright resignation but did say Weiner's behavior was inappropriate and unbecoming of an elected official.

"Sure, he's from New York and he's brash and all that sort of thing, but that's no excuse for him to be counted any different than any one of us," said Paulsen, whose district includes part of Hopkins. "He has to come clean about everything that took place."

The incident involving Weiner is the latest in a recent spate of political scandals. Just this week, former presidential candidate John Edwards was indicted by a grand jury for alleged mishandling of campaign funds. Conspiracy, illegal use of campaign funds and fraud are among the charges Edwards now faces.

Paulsen said he couldn't explain why some in Washington and others in positions of political power find themselves entangled in questionable ethics practices, saying only that the judgement of some becomes fogged inside the "Beltway Bubble."

"I think there is a problem with some of my colleagues," Paulsen said. "They tend to become insulated. They don't get back to the district much, they surround themselves with people and staff who are just 'yes' people, and so I think they get attracted to the lure of Washington. They lose touch. They say Washington is a city surrounded on all sides by reality, and I think that's the case for some of these folks."

For now, Paulsen says he'll be following the path of an inquiry into Weiner's conduct.

"We have to let the ethics investigation play out," he said.