Bellingham student embroiled in scandal

As of last week, Gennette Cordova was a 21-year-old student at Whatcom Community College in Bellingham, whose public profile was largely limited to articles she'd written for the student newspaper.

That all changed over the weekend when Cordova was caught up in a national medi

a frenzy as the recipient of a lewd photo sent from Democratic New York Congressman Anthony Weiner's Twitter account.

Through no apparent fault of her own, Cordova has become a character in a scandal that could damage a politician she admired — unless, as Weiner's defenders contend, it is proven to be a partisan hoax set up by his enemies.

Weiner, 46, saying his social-media accounts were hacked, has denied sending the photo, which shows a man's bulging underpants. But the seven-term congressman did little to calm the media storm Wednesday when he said he couldn't say "with certitude" that the man in the photo wasn't him.