Huma Abedin

Huma Abedin
Huma Abedin
Born	Huma Mahmood Abedin; July 28, 1975 (age 51); Kalamazoo, Michigan, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Political aide, consultant, author
Years active	1996–present
Known for	Chief of staff to Hillary Clinton; Vice chair of Clinton 2016 presidential campaign; Deputy chief of staff at U.S. State Department
Notable work	Both/And: A Life in Many Worlds (memoir, 2021)

Huma Mahmood Abedin (born July 28, 1975) is an American political aide best known for her role as chief of staff to former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. She held the position of vice chair during Clinton's 2016 presidential bid and served as deputy chief of staff throughout Clinton's term at the State Department from 2009 until 2012. Additionally, Abedin was the traveling chief of staff for Clinton’s campaign in the 2008 Democratic presidential primaries. In 2021, she published her memoir titled Both/And: A Life in Many Worlds.

Early life

Abedin was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan to Syed Zainul Abedin, a professor specializing in American Literature with a doctoral degree, and Saleha Mahmood Abedin, who is also a professor. She is of both Pakistani and Indian heritage and has three siblings—two brothers and one sister. When she was two years old, her family moved to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where her parents accepted academic positions at the University of Jeddah. During her upbringing, she attended a British girls’ school and traveled extensively. Her father died from progressive kidney failure when she was 17 years old.

She completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism with a minor concentration in political science at George Washington University.

Early career

While studying at George Washington University, Abedin began working as an intern at the White House in 1996, assigned to then-First Lady Hillary Clinton. Between 1996 and 2008, she held the role of assistant editor for the Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs. Initially serving as a backup to Clinton’s personal aide, she officially became Clinton’s aide and advisor during Clinton’s victorious 2000 U.S. Senate campaign in New York. Later, Abedin took on responsibilities as traveling chief of staff and "body woman" during Clinton's 2008 effort to secure the Democratic presidential nomination. Colleagues regard her as a trusted expert on the Middle East.

2009–2015: State Department, Clinton Foundation, Teneo

In 2009, Abedin was named deputy chief of staff to Secretary Clinton at the United States Department of State. Following her return from maternity leave in June 2012, she transitioned out of that position and assumed the role of a special government employee, which permitted her to offer private consulting services while continuing to advise the Secretary of State. Under this designation, she provided consultancy for Teneo, a strategic advisory firm serving clients such as Coca-Cola and MF Global, and received compensation as a consultant for the Clinton Foundation, all while maintaining her duties as Clinton’s body woman. This arrangement allowed her to operate from New York City to be closer to her family.

After departing the State Department in 2013, Abedin led the transition team facilitating Clinton’s move back into private life and remained involved with the Clinton Foundation. Shortly before leaving government service, she founded Zain Endeavors LLC, a private consulting company.

2016 presidential campaign

Beginning in 2015, Abedin took on the role of vice chair for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, continuing simultaneously as Clinton’s personal assistant. In this capacity, she was responsible for vetting candidates for critical campaign roles—including campaign manager Robby Mook—and acted as the principal liaison to Clinton prior to the official launch of the campaign. Following Republican nominee Donald Trump’s proposal to prohibit travel from Muslim-majority countries, Abedin identified herself as "a proud Muslim" and condemned Trump’s proposal as "literally (writing) racism into our law books."

2017–present

In November 2021, Abedin released her memoir, Both/And: A Life in Many Worlds. This work chronicles her upbringing in Saudi Arabia, her adherence to Islam, her role as an aide to Hillary Clinton, and the complexities of her relationship with her estranged spouse, former Democratic Congressman Anthony Weiner. Composing the memoir served as a healing journey amid the turmoil caused by Weiner's controversies. It delves into the diverse facets of her identity shaped by being born in Michigan and raised abroad by a Pakistani father and Indian mother.

Within the memoir, Abedin disclosed an incident from the mid-2000s involving an unnamed U.S. senator who forcibly kissed her—an experience she had suppressed until the 2018 sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh resurfaced those memories. Nonetheless, during a CBS interview promoting the book, she clarified that at the time of the incident, she did not perceive it as sexual assault.

As of May 2023, Abedin holds the position of chief of staff for Hillary Clinton.

Muslim Brotherhood accusations

On June 13, 2012, five Republican Congress members—Michele Bachmann, Trent Franks, Louie Gohmert, Thomas J. Rooney, and Lynn Westmoreland—addressed a letter to the State Department Inspector General. They alleged that relatives of Abedin maintained links to Muslim Brotherhood affiliates or organizations. The letter suggested these associations could constitute "potentially disqualifying conditions for obtaining a security clearance" and questioned why Abedin retained her clearance despite these claims.

The editorial board of The Washington Post dismissed these charges as "paranoid," "unfounded," and a "smear campaign." The letter also faced criticism from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Representative Keith Ellison—the first Muslim in Congress—and Senator John McCain. Ed Rollins, Bachmann’s former campaign manager, described the allegations as "extreme and dishonest" and called for Bachmann to issue an apology to Abedin.

Concurrent employment during State Department service

Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley scrutinized Abedin's simultaneous outside employment while working at the State Department. Alongside her part-time role assisting Clinton, Abedin was employed by consulting firm Teneo Holdings—headed by Douglas Band, a longtime Clinton associate—as well as by the Clinton Foundation, in addition to serving as Hillary Clinton’s personal aide. The State Department explained that it frequently engages special government employees to provide necessary expertise. Abedin denied sharing any government information with her private sector employers. Grassley considered the responses inadequate.

In July 2015, Grassley disclosed that the State Department’s inspector general determined Abedin had been overcompensated by nearly $10,000 for unused vacation time due to violations of leave policies during her federal service. Abedin’s legal representatives challenged this conclusion in a detailed 12-page letter and requested an administrative review, emphasizing that she had worked through maternity leave and therefore earned the compensation.

In October 2015, a federal court examined arguments concerning a Freedom of Information Act request filed by conservative group Judicial Watch. The request sought access to Abedin’s emails and employment records, including information about her designation as a "special government employee," which permitted outside consulting while on federal payroll. Subsequently, the State Department agreed to release 69 pages of emails in response.

Controversy Surrounding Hillary Clinton's Emails

In 2015, emails involving Huma Abedin became a focal point in the FBI’s inquiry into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while serving as Secretary of State, triggering accusations of violations against State Department protocols. Intelligence officials revealed that certain messages contained classified details linked to the 2012 Benghazi assault, transmitted through Clinton’s personal server. By February 2016, investigators had identified 1,818 emails with classified information, including 22 labeled as Top Secret, although these classifications were not assigned at the time they were sent. Additionally, Clinton’s staff exchanged sensitive classified content.

On October 28, 2016, during an unrelated investigation, the FBI uncovered further emails connected to Clinton’s private server on a laptop owned by Anthony Weiner, who was then married to Abedin. FBI Director James Comey announced a renewed examination of these emails for classified material. The FBI’s New York field office suspended its separate probe upon this discovery and transferred the matter to the team managing Clinton’s email case. Subsequently, a warrant was obtained specifically for Abedin’s emails; she cooperated with investigators but maintained she was unaware how her emails ended up on Weiner’s device.

By October 30, 2016, the FBI had secured a search warrant for the newly found emails, highlighting that Abedin had used the same laptop for thousands of communications with Clinton. After thoroughly reviewing all pertinent emails, the FBI upheld its July decision clearing Clinton of wrongdoing. Nevertheless, Clinton was defeated by Donald Trump in the November 8, 2016 presidential race. She later implied that Comey’s announcement reopening the investigation affected the election result—a perspective echoed by analyst Nate Silver. In her 2021 memoir, Abedin expressed that if Clinton lost, it would be "because of you and me," referring to herself and Weiner.

Testimony Before House Benghazi Committee

On October 16, 2015, Abedin provided closed-door testimony to the United States House Select Committee on Benghazi concerning the 2012 Benghazi attack which resulted in the deaths of Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans. Earlier in September 2015, the committee had also taken confidential statements from Clinton aides Cheryl Mills and Jake Sullivan, with Clinton herself testifying publicly on October 22.

Democratic Representative Elijah Cummings questioned the necessity of Abedin’s testimony given her limited direct knowledge of the attacks. In contrast, Republican Representative Mike Pompeo supported interviewing her due to her senior position at the State Department during that period. Before delivering nearly eight hours of testimony, Abedin remarked: "I came here today to be as helpful as I could be to the committee."

State Department Subpoena in 2015

In February 2016, The Washington Post revealed that in late 2015 the United States Department of State had issued a subpoena to the Clinton Foundation. The subpoena requested documents pertaining to projects undertaken by the charity that required federal approval during Clinton's time as secretary of state and sought records related to Abedin.

Personal life

Abedin practices Islam and is proficient in English, Urdu, and Arabic. She started a relationship with then-U.S. Representative Anthony Weiner in 2007, became engaged two years later, and they were married on July 10, 2010, in a ceremony officiated by former President Bill Clinton. The couple welcomed a son in December 2011. After several sexting controversies involving Weiner, Abedin announced their separation in August 2016 and filed for divorce in May 2017 following his guilty plea. They retracted the divorce petition in January 2018 to pursue a private resolution but ultimately completed their divorce proceedings in early 2025, maintaining joint custody of their child.

Hillary Clinton has served as both a mentor and a maternal figure to Abedin; Clinton described her as a second daughter during Abedin’s wedding. Abedin’s mother noted the deep bond between Clinton and her daughter during a visit to Saudi Arabia.

In May 2022, Abedin revealed she had been dealing with anxiety and undergoing therapy as a result of the emotional impact from her husband's scandals. She also mentioned that she had resumed dating.

In the autumn of 2023, Abedin met Alexander Soros, son of George Soros, and they became engaged by July 2024. Their wedding took place on June 14, 2025, attended by influential Democratic politicians, Hollywood personalities, and notable figures such as Anna Wintour at this high-profile occasion.

In popular culture

Abedin appears in Weiner, a documentary chronicling her former husband’s unsuccessful bid for Mayor of New York in 2013.

In July 2022, Freida Pinto announced plans to develop and star in a television adaptation of Abedin’s memoir, with Abedin acting as an executive producer alongside Emily Verellen.

External links