Updated at 5:40 p.m. ET  Combative Rep. Anthony Weiner said today he didn't send a lewd photo of a man in his underwear on his Twitter account.  But the New York Democrat "cannot say with certitude" that the photo is not of him, Weiner told MSNBC. He repeated his comments in interviews with CNN and other news outlets.  "Someone committed a prank on the Internet," Weiner told MSNBC, suggesting that possibly "something was manipulated" and that someone was trying to make fun of him and his last name.  Weiner, who has his eye on becoming mayor of New York City, said he's taking the Twit pic seriously but notes this whole situation is not about national security. He repeatedly said he'd like to put the whole matter behind him and get back to work, but realizes that he'll be in the eye of the storm for a bit.  "The implication is I did something wrong. I was a victim of a prank," Weiner told MSNBC's Luke Russert.  The mystery of the lewd Twitter photo engulfed Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, when the House returned from a break for Memorial Day. It's been dubbed "Weinergate" in the blogosphere and some cable news programs.  Weiner, known for his sometimes fiery rhetoric on the House floor, initially claimed this weekend that his Twitter account was hacked. He then called it a "prank."  The congressman had a particularly animated exchange on Tuesday with CNN as he was questioned about how a photo of a man at crotch level, directed to a 21-year-old college student in Seattle, ended up posted on his Twitter stream. Weiner called one journalist a "jack---" during the exchange.  Since the Twitter photo took a life of its own, Weiner told MSNBC that people have been reviewing his followers on Twitter and the various people he follows on the micro-blogging site for clues. He says his followers are a random mix of people who follow him, colleagues in Congress such as Republicans Paul Ryan and Michele Bachmann, friends and relatives.  The tweet of the lewd photo was first reported by BigGovernment.com, run by conservative commentator Andrew Breitbart. He gained attention for a video of Agriculture Department employee Shirley Sherrod that was edited to make it appear as though she was not helpful to a white farmer.  The woman who received the photo from Weiner's Twitter account told the New York Daily News that she had never met the congressman and that there had "never been any inappropriate exchanges" between them.  Weiner, first elected in 1998, has more than 51,000 followers on Twitter. Time magazine said he has one of best Twitter feeds, in part for the "brashness and sarcasm" that come from his tweets.  The congressman is married to Huma Abedin, a longtime aide to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Rep. Anthony Weiner decries Twitter photo 'prank'  - On Politics: Covering the US Congress, Governors, and the 2010 Election - USATODAY.com