House Democratic leaders could begin the process of taking away Rep. Anthony Weiner’s committee assignments today as part of a final push to force him from office, even as a minor backlash against calls for his resignation has emerged from one corner of the caucus. 
 
 Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and her leadership team plan to meet at noon Thursday to confer about plans to increase pressure on the scandal-scarred New York Democrat to give up his seat. Democratic sources familiar with earlier discussions say they may choose to call for a caucus vote on the matter next week. 
 
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 reset DNC Chair calls for Weiner to step down VIDEO: Obama: 'I would resign' VIDEO: Weiner's tearful presser 
 
 “That is under active consideration,” said a source familiar with those discussions. 
 
 In addition, party leaders who have not yet called for Weiner’s ouster may be pressured to join that chorus. 
 
 The renewed effort comes even as some of Weiner’s closest friends in the House are criticizing Democratic colleagues for piling on. 
 
 Those tensions spilled out in a private Democratic Caucus meeting Tuesday when New Jersey Rep. Bill Pascrell laid out his views on the right and wrong ways to handle allegations of wrongdoing by a member of the caucus. He said he understands the need for certain Democrats — party leaders and those whose reelections could be affected by the scandal — to call on Weiner to resign, but then, by implication, scolded Pennsylvania Rep. Allyson Schwartz for jumping ahead of leadership last week when she told POLITICO that Weiner should step down and followed up with a round of national television interviews. 
 
 “He was upset that some of the members of our caucus, prior to the leadership acting, had acted in their own right,” said a senior Democratic aide who attended the meeting, which had dwindled to between 10 and 15 lawmakers by the time the fireworks launched. An emotional exchange among Pascrell, Pelosi, Schwartz and a handful of other lawmakers ensued. 
 
 The private airing of Weiner-related grievances underscores the difficulty House Democrats are having with a story that just won’t go away — one that forces them to consider the human frailties of their colleague, their own personal standards, how and when to pass judgment on a peer and, once again, the tension between the political needs of the party and the needs of one of its members. 
 
 It’s hard to look for precedent in the case: The gory details of most political sex scandals aren’t available at the click of a mouse; Weiner’s bizarre week of proactive lying was overshadowed only by a wide-ranging press conference in which he admitted to a series of “sexts,” and few scandals knock a party off-message for weeks at a time. On top of that, Weiner has alienated many of his colleagues in the past. ||||| Dems mull action on Anthony Weiner as photos emerge showing congressman in bra and pantyhose 
 
 Anthony Weiner doesn't look so hot in a bra and pantyhose. 
 
 Things went from drag to worse on Wednesday for Anthony Weiner - and could get even bleaker for him Thursday. 
 
 Hours after photos of the creepy congressman vamping in a bra and pantyhose popped up, and porn star Ginger Lee accused him of telling her to lie, reports surfaced that House Dems may start trying to force him out. 
 
 Politico.com reported that House Democratic leaders could take the first steps to strip Weiner of his seat on the Energy and Commerce Committee as early as Thursday. 
 
 "That is under active consideration," Politico quoted a source as saying. Democratic leaders are expected to meet Thursday to discuss the growing Weinergate scandal. 
 
 Events began heating up early Wednesday when the National Enquirer splashed photos of Weiner in drag on its cover. The shots were taken in Weiner's sophomore year at SUNY Plattsburgh. 
 
 Weiner, 46, was a "flamboyant figure" who donned the ladies' undergarments as part of the school's secret Santa festivities, a former classmate said. 
 
 "It was never quite clear whether one of Anthony's challenges was to become a cross-dresser or if it was just some bizarre stunt he decided to do on his own," the classmate told the Enquirer. "He was a very odd guy who went out of his way to do things purely for the shock value." 
 
 Meanwhile, Lee - one of the six babes Weiner sexted - enlisted high-powered lawyer Gloria Allred and claimed the congressman "asked me to lie" about their Internet interludes. 
 
 Weiner, who reps parts of Queens and Brooklyn, insisted earlier he dumped the blond from his Twitter feed as soon as he found out what she did for a living. 
 
 At a news conference at the Friars Club in midtown, Lee, dressed in a tight but demure black top, said Weiner emailed her after his first crotch shot went viral and told her not to tell anybody about the the 100 or so emails and Tweets they exchanged. 
 
 "I knew I couldn't lie for him, but I didn't want to kick him under the bus," she said in a Southern drawl. 
 
 Lee said Weiner had sent her no filthy pictures and insisted she "did not sext Anthony Weiner." 
 
 She said she wanted to talk politics with Weiner, but he kept talking dirty and drawing attention to his "package." 
 
 
 
 Ginger Lee has a beef with Anthony Weiner. (Pierre Zonzon/FilmMagic; Andrew Burton/Getty) 
 
 Allred read some of the raunchy notes to reporters. 
 
 "All right, my package and I are not going to beg," Weiner wrote. "We both see the hazard of going down the path of comparative sexiness." 
 
 In another text, Weiner complained, "You aren't giving my package due credit." 
 
 In yet another, Weiner stated, "I have wardrobe demands, too. I need to highlight my package." 
 
 Allred, who represented several of Tiger Woods' gal pals, described Lee as a "feature dancer" and aspiring real estate agent. 
 
 "I think that Anthony Weiner should resign because he lied," said Lee, who said she has never met Weiner. 
 
 Weiner has been under increasing pressure to quit from fellow Democrats. He is on a two-week leave from Congress and has entered rehab to deal with his demons. 
 
 Earlier Wednesday, Weiner's wife, Huma Abedin, returned home to their Washington pad. She went overseas on a diplomatic mission with Secretary of State Clinton after the scandal broke and has yet to speak publicly about her train-wreck husband.
– What a drag. A new photo has emerged of Rep. Anthony Weiner strutting in a bra and black stockings. "Busted Wearing Women's Lingerie," screams the National Enquirer headline next to the photo slapped on the cover of yesterday's edition. The shot was taken Weiner's sophomore year at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh. "It was never quite clear whether one of Anthony's challenges was to become a cross-dresser or if it was just some bizarre stunt he decided to do on his own," a classmate tells the Enquirer. "He was a very odd guy who went out of his way to do things purely for the shock value." The pic comes just as House Democrats plan to get tough with Weiner in a bid to push him out the door, reports Politico. House leaders plan to meet today to decide whether to strip Weiner of his committee assignments, sources say. They had been waiting for Weiner's pregnant wife, Huma Abedin, to return from a trip to Africa with boss Hillary Clinton, hoping Abedin can add her voice to their pleas to Weiner to quit, according to sources.