White House intern, and she was still close to Clinton decades later when her crumbling marriage to Anthony Weiner, disgraced ex-Congressman, threatened to endanger Clinton's 2016 presidential bid.
Abedin, who spent 25 years working in the background, is now sharing her experience with Clinton during the Lewinsky affair. Abedin wrote in her new book "Both/And" that she was "sad and angry for the woman who is now mine boss" after Clinton admitted to lying about Lewinsky's relationship.
In a "CBS Sunday Morning interview," Abedin said that Norah O'Donnell, the managing editor of CBS Evening News, was also confused.
"Cause it was, on the one hand, like, "We're doing that really important stuff." What's the deal? Abedin stated that he remained focused on his job and did not change his mind.
Abedin answered a question about Clinton's decision to not divorce her husband by saying, "She made that decision for herself, her family and her country."
Abedin stated that loyalty is the foundation of her decades-long friendship with Clinton. Weiner's scandals with sex were a test of that loyalty.
Weiner posted a picture of himself in underwear to Twitter in 2011, which he intended to send to another woman. Two years later, Weiner was again in the news for sending explicit photos of himself to another woman. A picture of Weiner and their son, which was shared by Clinton in 2016 as he ran for President, was leaked. This triggered an investigation by Child Protective Services. Also, he was caught on camera sexting underage girls.
Abedin stated that she believed she would be fired. "I was informed by a colleague that I was about be fired, but due to our long-standing relationship, Hillary had to fire me." She was shocked by my decision, she didn't believe it was right," Abedin shared with O'Donnell.
Abedin stated that every marriage and every relationship is different. She was unsure if Clinton's marital problems influenced her response to her own. "I was just trying to survive, and I was getting up every morning."
Abedin stated that she did not think she would survive the worst impact of the scandal. FBI agents discovered emails involving Clinton on Weiner’s laptop. This led the FBI to reopen the investigation into Clinton's emails, just days before the 2016 election.
Abedin stated that she believes Clinton won despite the negative effects of the investigation in the last days of the election.
"I don't know, right now. But I did. She said, "For a long while." "Let's just say that I was not blaming anyone. Hillary Clinton. Never again."
