When former New York Congressman Anthony Weiner destroyed his career by texting racy photos of himself to women he didn’t know, many wondered if it would affect his wife’s job as Hillary Clinton’s longtime close aide. Now, it appears that Huma Abedin is doing just fine with the former secretary of state.
Weiner got caught sexting twice, and his personal scandals led to a disastrous run for New York City mayor, a run he lost big. These troubles caused many to urge Hillary Clinton to dump Weiner’s wife, Huma Abedin, as her personal aide.
Despite calls for Mrs. Clinton to distance herself from Abedin, it appears that Weiner’s peccadilloes have not mattered at all for his wife’s employment with the former first lady.
Abedin was seen this month during Clinton’s visit to Iowa for Senator Tom Harkin’s annual steak fry fundraiser. The trusted Clinton aide has remained with the Clinton camp in spite of her husband’s actions.
“The only apparent change in Abedin’s longtime presence as Clinton’s trusted ‘body woman,'” the New York Daily News reported, “was the length of her hair–she cut her long locks into a sleek bob over the summer.”
Clinton’s office has also commented on Abedin’s continued role with Team Hillary.
“Huma has been an important part of Secretary Clinton’s work for the past 18 years,” said Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill, “and no matter what the future holds, Huma will remain so.”
Abedin has apparently weathered the storm quite well, in fact. Far from being a paraiah for the Clintons and becoming the invisible woman in the media, Abedin was recently mentioned in a CNN story on the premiere of the Hillary Clintonesque CBS show Madame Secretary starring actress Téa Leoni.
Clearly, Hillary Clinton has telegraphed to the media that Abedin is not a problem, and the media has responded with acquiescence.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.
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