Anthony Weiner's wife Huma reveals how boss Hillary Clinton's 'unconditional love' helped her through husband's sexting scandal
The wife
of disgraced former Congressman Anthony Weiner has revealed how
unconditional love from her boss Hillary Clinton helped her through her
husband's sexting scandal.
Huma
Abedin, who started working for Clinton when she was 21 and remains a
top aide, was pregnant when it emerged in 2011 that her husband had sent
lewd pictures to a string of women.
But the couple weathered the storm and his resignation, and in a lengthy article in New York Times Magazine, Abedin has explained how the support she received at work helped her get through.
'What I will say about [Hillary],
and for that matter her entire family, the unconditional love and
support they have given me has been a real gift,' she told the Times.
Support: Huma Abedin has revealed how her boss
Hillary Clinton (pictured together in 2008) helped her through the
sexting scandal involving her husband, former congressman Anthony Weiner
'And I think she would
be O.K. with me saying this, because I know she has said this before: at
the end of the day, at the very least, every woman should have the
ability and the confidence and the choice to make whatever decisions she
wants to make that are right for her and not be judged by it.'
The
situation echoes Clinton's own personal life and her decision to stick
by her husband, and Weiner himself likened his relationship to the
Clintons' when the Monica Lewinsky affair came to light.
'If
you read Hillary's biography of the time,' he said in the interview,
'she speaks pretty frankly about believing that there were people out to
get her husband - "I believe him, I'm going to stand in there, I'm
going to tell friends that it’s bull" - and the way she felt when she
found out the truth.'
Abedin,
37, speaks about this rollercoaster of emotions - from when she first
heard he was accused of sending pictures to women to when he came clean.
Supportive: Huma Abedin, a close aide to Hillary Clinton, said she has forgiven her husband's mistake
At first 'I was right there with him: "Let’s
fight! Defend!"' she said. 'I was with him. One hundred percent.'
But
as the intensity of accusations and calls from reporters grew, he
decided to come clean to Abedin during a trip to the Hamptons.
'It was
every emotion that one would imagine,' she said. 'Rage and anger and shock. But
more than anything else, in the immediate, it was disbelief. The thing
that I consciously remember saying over and over and over again is: "I
don't understand. What is going on? What's happening to our lives?"'
Two
days later, she headed on a week-long trip to Africa on Clinton's
plane. While aboard, her phone rang and someone at the White House said:
'We are here for you, and we love you.'
When
she arrived in Abu Dhabi, Clinton's chief of staff revealed they had
also helped fly in her mother and older brother to support her
throughout the trip.
Sexting: Weiner was forced to step down in June
2011 after inadvertently sending out a lewd picture of himself on
Twitter. It emerged he was sending the images, left, to numerous women
online including Ginger Lee, right
Return? Former U.S. Congressman Anthony Weiner revealed he is considering running for New York mayor
On returning, Weiner resigned and they focused on their marriage.
Abedin said that despite her feelings of betrayal, she loved her husband and the friendship they had shared for many years.
'Here was a man I respected, I loved, was
the father of this child inside of me, and he was asking me for a
second chance,' she remembered.
'It took a long
time to be able to sit on a couch next to Anthony and say, "O.K., I
understand and I forgive". It was the right choice for me. I didn't make
it lightly.'
The
couple is now working towards the future - bringing up their son Jordan
as Weiner considers entering the New York mayor race this year.
By her side: Abedin also received support from the White Houseand Clinton's other aides
Weiner said that the results from the polling by Obama's longtime pollster David Binder showed that he would have a tough time.
'David said I'd be the underdog in any race I ran,' he said.
Weiner had been a mayoral frontrunner
before he left his job and still has $4.3 million left in his campaign
account.
But
he was forced to step down in June 2011, when he mistakenly posted a
'crotch shot' on his Twitter feed. It later emerged he had been sending
lewd images to numerous young women.
Standing by him: Weiner's wife Huma Abedin was pregnant when his sexting scandal emerged
Support: Weiner said he spent $100,000 on
polling to see how people would react to his running for mayor - and
whether they could forgive him. Pictured, supporters in Queens in 2011
Porn actress Ginger Lee, Las Vegas blackjack dealer Lisa Weiss and Megan Broussard, a 26-year-old single mother from Texas, were among the women who claimed they had his photos.
He and Ms Abedin, a longtime personal aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, were married for less than a year when the photos were discovered.
It is not the first time Weiner has been said to be plotting a return to public life. Previous reports said he was planning to run for comptroller or public advocate.