7 June 2011, New York City, USA
Thank you very much for being here, and good afternoon.
I’d like to take this time to clear up some of the questions that have been raised over the past 10 days or so, and take full responsibility for my actions.
At the outset, I’d like to make it clear that I have made terrible mistakes that have hurt the people I care about the most, and I’m deeply sorry.
I have not been honest with myself, my family, my constituents, my friends and supporters, and the media.
Last Friday night, I tweeted a photograph of myself that I intended to send as a direct message as part of a joke to a woman in Seattle.
Once I realized I had posted it to Twitter, I panicked, I took it down, and said that I had been hacked. I then continued with that story to stick to that story, which was a hugely regrettable mistake.
This woman was unwittingly dragged into this and bears absolutely no responsibility. I am so sorry to have disrupted her life in this way.
To be clear, the picture was of me, and I sent it.
I am deeply sorry for the pain this has caused my wife, Huma, and our family, and my constituents, my friends, supporters and staff.
In addition, over the past few years, I have engaged in several inappropriate conversations conducted over Twitter, Facebook, email, and occasionally on the phone with women I had met online.
I have exchanged messages and photos of an explicit nature with about six women over the last three years. For the most part, these relation-- communications took place before my marriage, though some have sadly took place after.
To be clear, I have never met these any of these women or had physical relationships at any time. I haven’t told the truth, and I’ve done things I deeply regret.
I brought pain to people I care about the most and the people who believed in me, and for that I’m deeply sorry. I apologize to my wife and our families, as well as to our friends and supporters.
I’m deeply ashamed of my terrible judgment and actions. I’ll be glad to take any questions that you might have.