Huma Abedin: Biography Of Anthony Weiner's Wife (PHOTOS)

By all accounts, Huma Abedin, the wife of Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-New York), has been unwittingly pushed into the spotlight following her husband's admission on Monday that he sent lewd photos to women he had met online.

Abedin, who's 35, was noticeably absent at the press conference when a tearful Weiner, 46, confessed to the inappropriate relationships but also said that he and his wife "have no intention of splitting up over this."

So just who is Huma Abedin?

Known as "Hillary Clinton's secret weapon," Abedin began working for the secretary of state as an intern in 1996, before the first lady herself became a focus of attention as a bystander in the Clinton-Lewinsky sex scandal.

Since then, the Michigan-born but Saudi Arabia-raised Abedin has ascended the ranks, with positions as a personal aide and advisor to then Senator Clinton as well as “traveling chief of staff” during her presidential campaign. She currently serves as a deputy chief of staff to Sec. Clinton. She was named this past fall to Time magazine's "40 Under 40" list of New Civic Leaders, where the profile referred to her as Hillary Clinton's "shadow."

Abedin, who speaks Arabic fluently (her father, who passed away in 1993, was of Indian descent and her mother, a professor in Saudi Arabia, is from Pakistan), is a practicing Muslim. Her husband, who's Jewish, has been known to fast with her during Ramadan.

She's also known for her impeccable style, favoring designers like Marc Jacobs and Prada. Oscar de la Renta, a friend, designed her dress for her wedding to Rep. Weiner last summer.

In a 2007 New York Observer profile (it should be noted that Abedin declined to be interviewed for it) then Hillary Clinton press secretary Philippe Reines called Abedin "one in a million," but conceded "that would mean there are 5,999 others in the world just like her, and there simply aren’t."

He continued:

“She is truly one of a kind, one in a billion. We are all in awe of her poise, grace, judgment, intellect and her seemingly endless reserve of kindness, patience and energy.”

Read more about Huma Abedin in this 2007 New York Observer profile.

Scroll through the slideshow below for pictures of Huma Abedin.

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In this July 10, 2010, file photo provided by Marie Ternes, Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., poses with his wife Huma Abedin, close aide to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, for a formal wedding portrait at the Oheka Castle in Huntington, N.Y. Clinton hosted an engagement party for the couple at her Washington home, where she told guests she considered Abedin her second daughter. Bill Clinton officiated at their wedding in the gardens of the Long Island castle. (AP Photo/Barbara Kinney)

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In this July 10, 2010, file photo provided by Marie Ternes, Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., poses with his wife Huma Abedin, close aide to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, for a formal wedding portrait at the Oheka Castle in Huntington, N.Y. Clinton hosted an engagement party for the couple at her Washington home, where she told guests she considered Abedin her second daughter. Bill Clinton officiated at their wedding in the gardens of the Long Island castle. (AP Photo/Barbara Kinney)

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Laurie Watkins said on 7 Tuesday 2011 pm30 8:21 pm: She appears to be an intelligent, lovely person. Too good for a junior high nutbag with a raging libido. Looks like if she leaves him, it will be a very big loss for this man. A bigger loss than his seat in Congress or his political reputation.

Total comments: 1696 | Post a Comment

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Correction: Abedin's age has been corrected. She is 35, not 34.

Comments

[TRUTHTALE]

07:02 PM on 07/09/2011

Your Abedin puff piece, replete with photographic distractions, is expected of sell-outs -such as Huffington. How does a “devout” Muslin female marry a practicing Jew? (Gee! Could be more to that part of the story you skipped.) Better re-read your picture story Qur-an. What about her familial ties to the Sisterhood and Brotherhood. She sits at the witches’ side, hearing and seeing everything. You are CRAZY people. As for your pics: Weiner looks like an evil geek and Abedin looks like a female, human rendition of Iblis. If you only could see what fools you all are.

[Phallus]

02:32 AM on 07/11/2011

I actually have 2 questions:

1. What kind of "education" she received in Saudi Arabia?
2. What makes her qualified to be a close advisor to the Secretary of State?

[5SpdSolara]

03:48 PM on 06/29/2011

Anyone see Hillary's blinged out Rolex? She's probably got some gold fillings too!

[wgyt]

02:51 PM on 06/27/2011

She is a very strong,yong, beutifull woman and has the hole world in front of her she can live on her own.

[General Public]

03:33 AM on 06/18/2011

Well I'm sure Hillary Clinton is giving Huma Abedin plenty of marriage tips now... Hillary has plenty of experience with a husband who similarly had some problems, but Hillary and Bill made the marriage work. I doubt there will be a divorce. Hillary provides an example of how to make a marriage work, and Huma Abedin has a "seemingly endless reserve of kindness, patience and energy", as the article notes. Besides, Anthony Weiner didn't cheat on his wife, he was just messing around online sending photos to strangers that he never met. Lots of people have issues like that and deal with it and move on. It's not that big a deal.

[lotus321]

06:21 PM on 06/16/2011

Marry a sex craved narcissist and leave him home alone for extended period of time. What do you think will happen. It is like leaving a crack rock by a former crack addict and saying you bet not smoke this while I am gone.

[1jimmy]

10:44 AM on 06/16/2011

She's adorable....little and sexy......he's just an idiot !!

[lotus321]

01:05 PM on 06/15/2011

Viewing the pics it seems like she is gone quite often. I am in full support of the upwardly mobile woman. However, most of them don't make very good wives for the narcissistic type. This guy had too much time alone at home and tried to use twitter and facebook to validate himself.

[1jimmy]

10:43 AM on 06/16/2011

He was supposedly a "professional".....a politician.....you describe a very common scenario in the professional world.....there is no excuse for his behavior though...he acts like a common "sex maniac" like me LOL.......but I can be one...no one cares....!!!

[BMcC724]

05:11 PM on 06/16/2011

'most of them don't make very good wives for the narcissist­ic type'...you're kidding right? Way to blame his behavior on her, champ. As if a wife could have changed his behavior, which has more to do with his 46 year old psyche than anything. I am astounded at the lack of even knowing what you don't know.

[lotus321]

05:43 PM on 06/16/2011

I know the mentality of men like Wiener. He ( in his mind) was missing something at home and he tried to solve it the wrong way.

[lotus321]

06:17 PM on 06/16/2011

She knew who she married and he knew he was married. He was wrong but I am sure she is not surprised.

[scottsdalebubbe]

03:07 PM on 06/12/2011

They are newlyweds. I hope she files for an annulment. He married her under false representations -- that he would love, honor, and care for her. He lied. She wouldn't be the first single woman to have a baby. And she certainly doesn't need further stress and worries living with a man who obviously has the PP judgment of a horny 14 year old. Who would want that burden as the every day father of her child?

It's very common for men with major flaws to show their true colors only after they marry. Didn't take him long to out himself. Speaking from experience.

[baseballmom]

11:43 AM on 06/11/2011

HP, PLEASE leave this woman alone. She has done nothing wrong, and deserves privacy. She is not the story!

[TRUTHTALE]

10:04 PM on 07/09/2011

Up is down and right is left, HELLO. Abedin is the ONLY story and it has nothing to do with the narcissistic sexual proclivities of Anthony Weiner. Reading these comments is horrifying. At least it helps to explain the United States’ decline and probable destruction. If the people are a reflection of their politicians and the politicians are a reflection of the people, and the politicians are half as bad as most people claim, that bodes badly for the people, in equal part, with the politicians.

[Brehas2]

04:57 AM on 06/11/2011

Where scandals are concerned most Republicans walk the plank. Democrats?

[odayacutie11]

07:21 PM on 06/10/2011

Who knows? She may be a soy

[Highly Opinionated]

10:08 AM on 06/10/2011

Huma is just another example of how some really brilliant people have absolutely no common sense when it comes to seeing through the BS that is so obvious to many of the rest of us. The people of NY were bamboozled as well, and according to the polls continue to stand by their man. No suprise there however, ala Charlie Rangel.

[TRUTHTALE]

10:11 PM on 07/09/2011

What makes her "really brilliant?" I'm bamboozled.

[Quinxy von Besiex]

01:42 AM on 06/10/2011

Twenty million still out of work and this is what everyone is talking about? Crazy.

[Highly Opinionated]

10:09 AM on 06/10/2011

As are you Quinxy.

[USLabor]

01:23 PM on 06/10/2011

How you said what you said implies "this is what everyone is talking about (all the time)?".
I think one can talk about major issues, such as the high unemployment rate, and talk about silly fluffiness, too.

[Quinxy von Besiex]

02:12 PM on 06/10/2011

I meant it more in the sense that the media is devoting its news gathering, reporting, broadcasting, and viewer eye balls to this story. And I'm forever amazed that the world has gone in this direction. We are a nation and a world with tremendous resources and yet millions starve while others build super colliders, and millions are functionally moronic while we have the technology to beam brilliant educational material into every home. Obviously it all comes down to us as individuals, choosing to find a god particle rather than feed the starving, choosing to watch sitcoms rather than an educational program, choosing to eat at McDonalds rather than from our backyard garden, etc. But still... I sometimes wish our important institutions, like the media, didn't give in to our every vapid whim.

[AJP2565]

11:57 AM on 06/11/2011

That would be multitasking, something the GOP and Faux News are totally against.

[firfytr]

09:55 PM on 06/09/2011

I'm curious, what qualifies Clinton to marry people, is he like a justice of the peace or something up there? LOL.

Or the fact he's a ex president give him special powers?

[Jimmy DaHand]

04:16 AM on 06/16/2011

http://www.dorfonlaw.org/2011/06/by-what-authority-did-bill-clinton.html Being a former President doesn't give those powers. Anybody or nobody can officiate if the proper papers are filed so former President Clinton could have been there just for show. If they didn't file all the appropriate papers their marriage may not be official whether they wish to remain married or not. But this is moving far afield. Other than Rep. Weiner saying he wouldn't decide until he could discuss it eye to eye with his wife, her return isn't news. So please don't go following her around. This situation belongs to Rep. Weiner and the Democratic party if they decide to sanction him or not. I hope the therapy he is seeking will help him and his wife. Hopefully his marriage can be save and he can rehabilitate himself. Let's give them a chance to do so.

[BMcC724]

05:14 PM on 06/16/2011

try to use the g**dam Googles once in while. The hand-holding for you stewps is incessant.

http://www.themonastery.org/?destination=ordination&gclid=CIC20-yru6kCFSJDgwodzS-k9A

[Frog in a pot]

12:18 PM on 06/09/2011

So what.He let a silly flirtation addiction get out of control.He is still more honorable than Gingrinch or Clinton and they survived and thrived.

[logicdog]

08:10 PM on 06/09/2011

Gingrich isn't thriving much today (Thursday; when everyone went overboard). . .

[Frog in a pot]

01:51 AM on 06/10/2011

He has made alot of money.

[Jimmy DaHand]

11:15 PM on 06/16/2011

My comment of asking how your post: "So what.He let a silly flirtation addiction get out of control.He is still more honorable than Gingrinch or Clinton and they survived and thrived." correlated to an article about Rep. Weiner's wife.