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Following the news that ex-congressman and current New York mayoral candidate, Anthony Weiner, has yet another sexting scandal on his hands, he and his wife, Huma Abedin, spoke at a press conference on Tuesday addressing the matter. During the press conference, Abedin stood next to her husband in support and even spoke to the public herself for the first time.
Here’s what you need to know about Huma Abedin…
1. More Scandalous Photos of Anthony Weiner Were Released on Tuesday
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Apparently long after after he resigned from Congress over a sexting scandal, Anthony Weiner continued to send naked pictures of himself to women other than his wife, Huma Abedin. According to a report by TheDirty.com, the scandalous images are dated August 2012, over a year after Weiner resigned in 2011.
2. Huma Abedin Publicly Stated That She’s Forgiven Her Husband
Standing beside Weiner during a press conference in New York City on Tuesday, Abedin addressed the public explaining why she has chosen to stay with the former congressman following his latest sexting scandal.
“Our marriage, like many others has had its ups and its downs,” Abedin said. “It took a lot of work and whole lot of therapy to get to a place where I could forgive Anthony.”
Abedin added that her decision to stay with Weiner was entirely her own and that she did it for her family.
“It was not an easy choice in any way, but I made the decision that it was worth staying in this marriage,” she said. “That was a decision I made for me, for our son, and for our family.”
Watch Abedin’s full speech above.
3. Tuesday Was the First Time She Addressed an Audience
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Abedin has often been pictured working behind the scenes at political events, but Tuesday’s appearance marked the first time she officially addressed an audience at a press conference.
“As many of you who has followed this campaign know, I’ve spent a good deal on the campaign trail. Going to churches and street fairs, parades. But this is the first time I’ve spoken at a press conference, and you’ll have to bear with me, because I’m very nervous, and I wrote down what I wanted to say.”
4. She’s an Aide for Hillary Clinton
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Abedin began her career working as an intern at the White House under Hillary Clinton in 1996. She currently works as an aide for Clinton in the State Department. At a celebration before Abedin’s wedding to Weiner, Clinton said in a speech, “I only have one daughter. But if I had a second daughter, it would be Huma.”
5. Michelle Bachmann Accused Abedin of Being a Terrorist
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Last year, Rep. Michelle Bachmann launched an inquiry into whether Congress had been infiltrated by the Muslim Brotherhood. Abedin was the main target of the claims.
“It appears that there has been deep penetration in the halls of our United States government by the Muslim Brotherhood,” Bachmann told radio host Sandy Rios in June 2012. “It appears that there are individuals who are associated with the Muslim Brotherhood who have positions, very sensitive positions, in our Department of Justice, our Department of Homeland Security, potentially even in the National Intelligence Agency.”
Rep. John McCain and other politicians came to Abedin’s defense, saying that Bachmann’s claims were baseless and unwarranted.
“These allegations about Huma and the report from which they are drawn are nothing less than an unwarranted and unfounded attack on an honorable woman, a dedicated American and a loyal public servant,” McCain said. “The letter and the report offer not one instance of an action, a decision or a public position that Huma has taken while at the State Department that would lend credence to the charge that she is promoting anti-American activities within our government… These attacks on Huma have no logic, no basis and no merit. And they need to stop now.”
Check out a video of McCain’s speech:
6. She Was Born in Michigan, but Raised in Saudi Arabia
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Abedin was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, but her family moved to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia when she was two years old. Both of her parents received their Ph.Ds from the University of Pennsylvania . Abedin returned to the United States to attend George Washington University.
7. She and Weiner Have a Baby Boy
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Abedin gave birth to a baby boy, Jordan Zain Weiner, in December 2011.
8. She Strongly Supports Her Husband’s Campaign
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Abedin strongly supports her husband’s campaign to become New York’s next mayor. She’s worked so hard on the campaign that she has already raised nearly $150,000 in donations over the past two months to fuel her husband’s candidacy.
9. Twitter is Regarding her as ‘Brave’
Many who watched the press conference took to Twitter to commended Abedin for being “tough” and “brave.”
Initial feelings Watching this. I feel for Anthony's wife Huma. Life and love is so complicated. I think she was brave. Thoughts?
— morningmika (@morningmika) July 23, 2013
#Huma Abedin is an intelligent, brave, gorgeous class act. #AnthonyWeiner married up for sure. #CarlosDanger
— Chantal McLaughlin (@chantalmclaugh) July 23, 2013
However, not everyone agreed with that sentiment:
The "brave" thing for Huma to do? Reject that thing she's married to, have a press conf & tell girls everywhere to not put up w crap.
— Tammy Bruce (@HeyTammyBruce) July 23, 2013
IMO, no, Huma isn't brave. Some women who will put up w anything, not out of love but out of what that union gives them: $$$ and/or status.
— A. J. Delgado (@missADelgado) July 23, 2013
10. She Was Named One of Time’s 40 Under 40
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Abedin was included in Time Magazine’s “40 Under 40,” a list dedicated to “a new generation of civic leaders… trying to fix a broken system.” Time describes her as Hillary Clinton’s second shadow.