Bill Clinton To Officiate Wedding Of New York Congressman Anthony Weiner Longtime Hillary Aide Huma Abedin
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NEW YORK — Call him the officiator-in-chief: Former President Bill Clinton will preside at the wedding of New York Rep. Anthony Weiner to a longtime aide of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
The 45-year-old congressman and his 34-year-old fiancee, Huma Abedin, are to be married Saturday at the Oheka Castle in Huntington on Long Island. The 19,000 square-foot home and extensive grounds have been host to many high-profile weddings, including Kevin Jonas of the Jonas Brothers to Danielle Deleasa last December.
While the rules in Huntington do not explicitly grant authority to a former president to perform a wedding, Clinton spokesman Matt McKenna confirmed Clinton would conduct the ceremony and has authorization to do so.
The Clintons are in the midst of a busy wedding season. Daughter Chelsea, 30, plans to tie the knot with investment banker Marc Mezvinsky on July 31 in Rhinebeck in upstate New York.
Weiner and Abedin have been dating for about two years and announced their engagement last summer. Weiner is Jewish. Abedin grew up in Saudi Arabia and is Muslim.
The relationship drew immediate notice in New York and Washington, pairing the scrappy six-term Democrat and one of New York's most eligible bachelors with the glamorous Abedin, who for years has served as one of Hillary Clinton's closest aides.
Weiner came close to running for the Democratic nomination to challenge New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg last year after failing to win the nomination in 2005. In May, he announced his decision not run, saying in a column in the New York Times that he hoped to "build a family" instead.
Abedin began working for Hillary Clinton in the White House in 1996. She followed her to Capitol Hill in 2001 after the former first lady was elected to the U.S. Senate from New York. Abedin served as Clinton's traveling chief of staff during Clinton's 2008 presidential bid and took much the same role after President Barack Obama named Clinton to be secretary of state last year.
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BETH FOUHY 07/ 9/10 09:00 PM ET Associated Press