REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
That was the question posed to him by New York Daily News columnist Denis Hamill in an interview published Tuesday. And Weiner responded with a classic "non-denial denial," tiptoeing around a firm answer.
"You can quibble about beginnings, middles and ends but what we're talking about is over a year ago," Weiner said.
Hamill didn't follow up on that non-denial denial. What we've been talking about, of course, is the latest round of revelations about Weiner's online sexual relationships that has spilled out over the past week.
Weiner admitted last week to online sexual relationships with at least three women after resigning from Congress in 2011. In total, he estimated that he had online relationships with between six and 10 women both during his time in Congress and otherwise.
Weiner announced on Sunday that amid the scandal, his campaign manager, Danny Kadem, had quit.
In the interview with the Daily News, Weiner said he wasn't surprised that the latest revelations have hampered his chances. He fell to fourth place among Democratic primary candidates in a new poll released on Tuesday.
"I knew it would be bad. It's too easy this stuff. The puns. The jokes. The institutional frustration that I was doing well in the race," Weiner said.
"Look at the tenor of the editorials before this second wave. Shaking the voters by the lapels and saying 'Why are you voting for this Weiner guy?' They couldn't understand that my message was reaching people. So now that they have something on which to hang their righteousness.
"I guess I'm not surprised. I've been in this business too long not to know it would be bad. It's not like some outside force did this to me. I did this to myself. This is my private life that is now public."