What I recall is that the FBI took it away from the NYPD in early October when it was realized there were Hillary emails on the laptop based on a review of metadata. I think Weiner may have voluntarily surrendered the laptop to the NYPD originally.
FBI HQ and the DOJ never authorized the FBI NY field office to get a search warrant to read the emails. Basically, HQ told the field agents to keep studying the metadata, probably to drag it out past the election and keep it quiet.
After it was leaked to the media in late October, only then Comey and the DOJ authorized getting a search warrant to read the Hillary emails, according to media reports.
IIRC there was talk that the NYPD was so aggrieved at what they found (re: pedophile/children images) that they threatened to go public. That was the time the FBI supposedly became involved = i.e. it could blow up on the FBI’s meme of “nothing to see here folks” - Comey’s 1st time around.
The other item I find ironic is that Huma is bringing up the line “Huma Abedin learned FBI was looking at her emails from the press”.
How many times have we heard that before (Obama et al): “I found out about it hearing/reading it in the press”.