NEW YORK — Rep. Anthony Weiner on Monday admitted sending a photo of his crotch to a young woman over Twitter and then lying repeatedly to protect himself. Weiner refused to resign even as Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi called for a House ethics investigation into whether he broke the rules.

Weiner insisted he had done nothing wrong and said he would fully cooperate with a House inquiry.

The married Weiner said he had engaged in inappropriate contact with six women over the course of three years through Twitter and Facebook and occasionally over the phone. He said he had never met or had a physical relationship with any of the women.

Weiner said he used his home computer and personal Blackberry, not government computers. But that may not protect him from House rules that say a member “shall conduct himself at all times in a manner that shall reflect creditably on the House.”

One of the federal government’s top Twitter users, U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said Tuesday that Weiner should resign, Radio Iowa reports.

— Associated Press