US Representative Anthony Weiner to resign

US Representative Anthony Weiner has told friends he is stepping down after an Internet sex scandal, The New York Times reported on Thursday.

Fellow congressional Democrats have pressured him to quit the House of Representatives and spare the party further embarrassment after he admitted sending lewd photos of himself to and holding steamy Internet chats with a number of women.

Weiner reached the decision to resign after speaking with his wife, Huma Abedin, an aide to US secretary of state Hillary Clinton who returned from an overseas trip on Tuesday, the Times reported without citing sources.

The New York congressman said he would seek treatment and was granted a "short leave" of absence from the House.

The latest pictures to surface on Sunday were of a scantily clad Weiner in the congressional gym -- raising the possibility of House ethics violations.

Weiner, 46, has been married less than a year to Abedin, 35. Former President Bill Clinton officiated at their wedding last July.