I knew this was as morally wrong as it was unlawful. Abedin, a top aide to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton last year, separated from Weiner in September after revelations he had sent more sexually charged messages online. This time, his transgressions could land him in jail. The pervy ex-pol whose years-long self-destructive sexting run sabotaged his own blossoming political career and marriage and helped torpedo Hillary Clinton’s shot at the White House will plead guilty Friday to a charge of transferring obscene material to a minor, possibly sending him to prison. Weiner will appear in federal court, Friday, May 19, 2017, to face criminal... (Associated Press) 
 
 Key events in the saga of Anthony Weiner, the former New York congressman who pleaded guilty Friday to transmitting sexual material to a minor: 
 
 ___ 
 
 1998 
 
 Nov. 3: Weiner, a Democrat, is elected to Congress. Front page of the New York Daily News for September 22, 2016: Disgraced former Congressman Anthony Weiner, whose long-suffering wife Huma Abedin recently dumped him, is caught sexting once again, this time with a 15-year-old girl. ___ 
 
 2013 
 
 May 22: Weiner launches his re-entry into the world of politics with a run for New York City mayor, asking voters for a second chance. Weiner’s estranged wife Huma Abedin, a top aide to Clinton, had announced their separation last August after Weiner was caught sending a lewd selfie that showed his 4-year-old son lying next to him in bed. ___ 
 
 2011 
 
 May 27: A lewd photograph of a man's underwear-clad crotch is sent from Weiner's Twitter account, and then is quickly taken down. 15 COULD GET HIM 20 (New York Daily News) Front page of the New York Daily News for May 4, 2017: Hillary Clinton's top aide Huma Abedin is the person who helped torpedo her presidential campaign, FBI Director James Comey claimed Wednesday, because Abedin regularly forwarded classified government emails to her serial sexting spouse Anthony Weiner so the disgraced former pol could print them out for her. Comey announced shortly before the election that the new emails contained nothing to change his view that Clinton could not be charged with a crime.
– Anthony Weiner has an unfortunate new title to go with "disgraced congressman." From now on, he'll also be a registered sex offender. Weiner appeared in federal court on Friday and pleaded guilty to a charge of transmitting sexual material to a minor, reports the New York Daily News. "I have a sickness, but I do not have an excuse," Weiner said in confessing to sending sexual images to a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina. While reading his statement, he "quickly dissolved into tears," reports the New York Times. And he might yet end up in jail. Related coverage: Divorce: The New York Post reports that Huma Abedin also filed for divorce from Weiner on Friday. It's uncontested, suggesting no fight is expected over assets or custody of their son. What he said: CBS News has the full text of his court statement here. Prison: Weiner faces up to 10 years when he is sentenced in September, but don't bet on it. Prosecutors said 21 to 27 months would be "fair and appropriate," and the AP notes that Weiner agreed not to appeal any sentence of that length. He also could be spared jail altogether. Keeping track: Having trouble remembering all the Weiner scandals? This timeline of his career from the AP might help. Affecting an election: If Hillary Clinton blames James Comey for her loss, then she should be blaming Weiner, too. CNN lays out how his sexting got tangled up in her email trouble. How sad: Amber Phillips assesses it all at the Washington Post, including the question of why on earth Weiner and Abedin allowed a documentary to be made about them. The "sad" Weiner story is not just "one of the weirdest political stories of the social media age," she writes. It's "guffaw-worthy. Cynical. Just plain puzzling. Gross. Criminal. And somehow totally impactful." Moving on: At CNN, Chris Cillizza makes a plea likely to have plenty of support: "Now, can we please agree to just stop talking about Weiner?"