Hillary’s Mystery Woman: Who is Huma?

NY Observer ^ | 4/2/2007 | Spencer Morgan

[veronica]

Senator Clinton’s closest aide, Ms. Abedin never sweats; Oscar de la Renta wants to dress her

Last June, under an oppressive sun, at a rally to save the Niagara military base at the University of Buffalo, all of New York’s top politicians—George Pataki, Chuck Schumer, Hillary Clinton—poured sweat.

Yet there was exactly one member of the wilting delegation who managed, somehow, to stay cool: Hillary Clinton’s mysterious, glamorous and eerily unflappable aide de camp, Huma Abedin.

“It was like 110 degrees outside,” recalled the source, a political aide who asked to remain anonymous. “We were all just pouring down with sweat. But I have this distinct memory of Huma traipsing in in this blue pantsuit—it was like this wool pantsuit—not a bead of sweat on her brow, not a hair out of place, with everything perfectly organized in her Yves Saint Laurent handbag.”

That sort of fantastical, supernaturally tinged tale is not unusual. Indeed, in the insular world of New York and D.C. politics, Huma Abedin has become a sort of mythical figure.

On a day-to-day basis, Ms. Abedin is responsible for guiding the Senator from one chaotic event to the next and ensuring that the many hundreds of situations that arise at each—the photo ops, the handshakes, the speeches—go smoothly. The job of “body person”—industry-speak for the catchall role of an omnipresent traveling assistant—is a notoriously grueling one, requiring unfaltering level-headedness and a zeal for multitasking. These folks are constantly on the move, juggling 20 different chores, and they consequently often appear slightly disheveled (or even sweaty).

By most quantifiable measures, Ms. Abedin has the most challenging of those gigs. In the last 10 days, she has accompanied Mrs. Clinton to more than 20 events, involving nine plane flights and several trains. At each stop, they were mobbed.

“I think she has special powers,” said public-radio broadcaster Katia Dunn, who recently crossed paths with Ms. Abedin and Mrs. Clinton at a café on Capitol Hill.

Ms. Dunn explained that she had heard about the “cult of Huma,” but had never met her. “All of a sudden, I turn around and there was this woman I now know to be Huma. And it wasn’t just that she was gorgeous—she did just sort of have this presence. She stopped me in my tracks for a second.”

“It’s not like she’s incredibly coiffed,” Ms. Dunn continued. “She just looked very composed and confident in her natural beauty. She momentarily arrested our progress. What’s amazing is that she didn’t even yell at us or anything—she didn’t have to.”

Representative Anthony Weiner, a swingingly single Brooklyn Democrat who has known Ms. Abedin since before Hillary Clinton was elected to office, talked about her ability to perform under pressure “preternaturally.”

“This notion that Senator Clinton is a cool customer—I mean, I don’t dispute it, but the coolest customer in that whole operation is Huma,” said the Congressman, who watched Ms. Abedin in action earlier this month at the internationally covered march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala.

Crossing the bridge was a logistical minefield: huge crowds to navigate, innumerable V.I.P.’s—including former President Clinton—to hand-hold, countless photo ops to facilitate and a strict timetable to keep. “There were a hundred things that could have gone wrong,” Mr. Weiner recalled. “And Huma was sort of the all-purpose trouble-shooter of first response. It was a tour de force, and what was most impressive is that she maintained a level head the whole time.”

He added: “In fact, I think there’s some dispute as to whether Huma’s actually human or not.”

But, Really, Is She?

Which gets at another facet of the cult of Huma: She’s something of a mystery, even to the people who have worked in her proximity for years.

Very little is publicly known about her, which of course leaves plenty to talk about. And the rumors abound. According to various accounts from Huma acquaintances interviewed for this story: She’s Lebanese, she’s Jordanian, she’s Iranian, she’s 26, she’s 36, she has two children, she lives with the Clintons.

“No one knows anything about her,” said one political aide. “She’s like Hillary’s secret weapon.”

In point of fact, many people from countless different corridors across the globe know something of Huma Abedin. But apparently she has a rare knack for letting people in without really letting them in.

“This might seem too over-saccharine, but I love Huma,” said Oscar de la Renta, who is a personal friend and intensely loyal supporter of the Clintons. The legendary designer was speaking to The Observer on the phone from his compound in the Dominican Republic. He has known her for nearly a decade. Indeed, he noted, Ms. Abedin has actually been a guest at his island home. He described her as “discrete,” “loyal,” “beautiful” and “half-Pakistani.”

“She is an unbelievably feminine and gentle person, but at the same time she can accomplish so much,” offered Mr. de la Renta. He recalled that she had great style, but hastened to point out that “she’s a Muslim” and “she’s very conservative.”

“I always say I don’t want to die without seeing [Huma] in a strapless dress,” he said, with a laugh. But did the dapper dressmaker know, say, where his dream girl grew up?

“I don’t really know much about her history,” said Mr. de la Renta, “because Huma is not such a talkative girl.”

Other political players with Clinton connections were just as effusive—and just as vague on the personal details.

“I’m so fond of Huma, if she were to run for office, I would volunteer for her campaign,” said public-relations man and Democratic super-fund-raiser Robert Zimmerman. Pressed for any biographical details about his prospective candidate, Mr. Zimmerman said, “I really don’t know much of her back story.”

The Huma Story

The back story, as it were, begins 32 years ago in Kalamazoo, Mich., where Ms. Abedin, who declined to participate in this article, lived until the age of 2. Her family then relocated to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where she lived until returning to the States for college. She attended George Washington University. Her father, who died when she was 17, was an Islamic and Middle Eastern scholar of Indian decent. He founded his own institute devoted to Western-Eastern and interfaith understanding and reconciliation and published a journal focusing on Muslim minorities living in the diaspora. Her mother, a renowned professor in Saudi Arabia, is Pakistani.

Ms. Abedin recently bought an apartment in the vicinity of 12th and U streets in Washington, D.C. When she comes to New York, she stays with her sister, who has an apartment in Manhattan—not, as one popular rumor has it, in Chappaqua with the Clintons. She has no children and has never been married. She’s single.

Ms. Abedin began working for Mrs. Clinton as an intern for the then First Lady in 1996. She was hired as a staff assistant to the First Lady’s chief of staff, Maggie Williams. For several years, she was the backup to Mrs. Clinton’s permanent personal aide, Allison Stein, and she officially took over as Mrs. Clinton’s aide and advisor around the time of the 2000 Senate race.

Her Presidential campaign title is “traveling chief of staff.”

‘Hoh My God!’

So she’s eminently qualified, and functions in the most visible position for the most visible candidate now running for President. Still, that’s only part of the explanation for why she has become an object of fascination.

“Have you seen Huma?” asked James Carville, the former advisor to President Clinton. “Her appearance is just like, ‘Hoh my God!’ She takes your breath away. She’s an unbelievably, stunningly gorgeous woman. Nobody in that position can be that good-looking; it just doesn’t happen.” He added that she is also “damn smart.”

Ms. Abedin is 5-foot-6 but invariably wears high heels—even to the multitude of parades she is obliged to walk in. She has full lips and long auburn hair, always worn down. And, despite a penchant for cheeseburgers and a schedule that doesn’t allow much time for Equinox, she is fashionably trim.

According to a friend, her favorite designers are Mr. de la Renta, Catherine Malandrino, Charles Nolan and Prada. “And she has a weakness for Marc Jacobs bags,” said the friend. “She is known for her bags.”

Robert Barnett, the Clintons’ longtime attorney, said that in 11 years of knowing her, he has never seen her wear the same outfit twice. He also said he holds Ms. Abedin’s intellect in the highest regard. “She has extremely good instincts and extremely good judgment,” he said. “She is also gorgeous and the most terrifically dressed young woman you will ever encounter.”

A Special Category

It’s a relatively small world of high-level Muslim officials and aides in Washington, and the subgroup of females who fit that description is even smaller.

Assistant Secretary of State Dina Habib Powell is a fellow member of that exclusive club, and has become fast friends with Ms. Abedin.

Ms. Powell, a 33-year-old who was born in Cairo, is also a Muslim, also speaks fluent Arabic and is also uncannily stylish—she says she has been told on many occasions that she is Ms. Abedin’s Republican doppelgänger. She had some insights into what her colleague is really passionate about.

“[Huma] certainly feels a deep responsibility to encourage more mutual understanding between her beliefs and culture and American culture,” said Ms. Powell. “I think you will see Huma coming out of that role in the background.”

“I think she’s going to emerge as a woman to watch,” she added.

It may have happened in the background, but Ms. Abedin has indeed become a trusted advisor to Mrs. Clinton, especially on issues pertaining to the Middle East, according to a number of Clinton associates. At meetings on the region, they say, Ms. Abedin’s perspective is always sought out.

And more and more, she’s becoming known for that expertise as well.

“She is a person of enormous intellect with in-depth knowledge on a number of issues—especially issues pertaining to the Middle East,” said Senator John McCain, in a statement relayed by one of his aides.

“Huma is an example of why more people, particularly in Washington, need to understand the rest of the world, need to recognize what an asset it is to have cross-cultural experiences,” wrote Queen Noor of Jordan in an e-mail. “She is loyal, intelligent, diplomatic, energetic and brings a broader understanding to the table—one that I wish there was more of in the world. It is this sensibility that has contributed to her being an enormous asset to Hillary in Washington and New York and now in this next endeavor, and I am proud of her.”

And so, apparently, is the boss.

“I’d call Huma one in a million,” said Mrs. Clinton’s press secretary, Philippe Reines, “but that would mean there are 5,999 others in the world just like her, and there simply aren’t. 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.”

Special powers, definitely.

[albee]

Why would there be NO pictures of this woman?

Because Huma's last name is Nitty?

[albee]

Why would there be NO pictures of this woman?

Because Huma's last name is Nitty?

[Diggity]

I imagine Bill has already hit on her.

John

[FormerACLUmember]

Why would there be NO pictures of this woman?

Because the Hillary among all democrats enjoys unsurpassed control of the mass media. I witnessed this with total astonishment. in her Senate runs in NY. The mass media was little more than endless Hillary propagandists.

Because Google has been shaken down and censors all thing Hillary. The lesson of Bill Gates is not lost (who refused to be extorted into paying democrats, then lost billions in phony federal lawsuits).

[ReignOfError]

Only photo I could find. Huma is in the foreground. The caption from AFP via Getty Images:

ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, UNITED STATES: US First Lady and New York Senate candidate Hillary Clinton(C) carries flowers and is led by an unidentified Andrews Air Force Base Protocol Officer(R) while her personal aide Huma Abedin carries a bag and a stack of New York newspapers 06 May 2000 after returning from New York to meet up with her husband, President Bill Clinton at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. The Clintons then boarded Air Force One and traveled to Subiaco, Arkansas, to attend a friend's wedding . (ELECTRONIC IMAGE) AFP PHOTO PAUL J. RICHARDS (Photo credit should read PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images)

Taken May 6, 2000. I'm sure there are better pictures of her over Hillary's shoulder, but she wouldn't necessarily be listed in the caption, so wouldn't ping on a Google image search. I'm sure that as this files around the blogosphere, folks will find other pictures.

[Miss Marple]

Your picture doesn't show up.

Da-da-da-DAAA.

[dennisw]

Clever find!!!

[dennisw]

Plenty of lesbian grist for the rumor mill

[ReignOfError]

Your picture doesn't show up.

Weird. Shows up fine for me. Must be some kind of database/cache thingy that doesn't yield a portable URL.

Anyhoo, I saved it off and hosted it elsewhere:

I think we're within the bounds of fair use here, but stretching a bit, and if the mods kill it i won't be overwhelmingly surprised.

[ronnie raygun]

"maybe this mystery woman is a man" IT'S BUBBA bless his heart, he aint no wayz tird,

[ken21]

they do each other at night?

[Paperdoll]

OMG! I will promptly dump out my Oscar de la Renta perfume! Interesting that the Clinons have flipped from photo-op church attenders to a thick association with Muslims. Does Obama have something to do with this? What does Killary say about this Huma, and does she blush when she says it?

[Miss Marple]

OK...now I can see it.

I find it odd that so many people speak of her being amazingly beautiful. She has nice hair and is well-dressed, but I don't think she falls into the Helen of Troy category.

Of course the same people who said she was beautiful also spoke about how much they loved her, even though they knew nothing about her.

Very strange.

[CarolinaGOP]

Oh my! I didn't know those "Mao" jackets where available in upholstery fabric.

[ReignOfError]

I find it odd that so many people speak of her being amazingly beautiful. She has nice hair and is well-dressed, but I don't think she falls into the Helen of Troy category.

Well-dressed, nice hair, nice figure. She looks fairly attractive, but she's in profile and wearing sunglasses in that picture and has an unflattering expression on her face, so it's hard to tell much more than that.

The travel reporting forms are a good lead -- they give us dates, places and times Huma went to public appearances with Hillary, events where photographers were probably present in droves. I'm doing a little noodling for those events, but someone with better access to more photo archives than I have will probably have better luck.

[veronica]

I wear Oscar perfume too. :) And I have for years. I won't dump it over this.

[Paperdoll]

Not the same signature at all!

[Fitzcarraldo]

Huma Abedin

Hoh my God!

Handler from Hell?

Huma's trips

Trips by* 

Huma Abedin
Total cost of 29 trips: $49,870.97 


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Trips traveled under the office of Hillary Clinton 

Destination: WHITE OAK, JACKSONVILLE, FL 
Sponsor: Democratic Leadership Council 
Purpose: ACCOMPANIED SENATOR TO RETREAT 
Date: Mar 24, 2001 (2 days) 
Expense: $1,227.00 
source 

Destination: MIAMI 
Sponsor: United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters (UA) 
Purpose: ACCOMPANIED SENATOR TO SPEECH 
Date: Aug 8, 2001 
Expense: $2,081.00 
source 

Destination: BUFFALO, NY, BINGHAMTON, NY TO DULLES 
Sponsor: Lockheed Martin 
Purpose: OFFICIAL TRAVEL WITH SENATOR CLINTON 
Date: Oct 29, 2001 
Expense: $1,031.25 
source 

Destination: WHITE PLAINS, NY TO ROCHESTER TO LAGUARDIA 
Sponsor: Sallie Mae Inc 
Purpose: FACT FINDING TRIP 
Date: Feb 21, 2002 
Expense: $1,117.50 
source 

Destination: ISRAEL 
Sponsor: Jewish Community Relations Council(s) 
Purpose: 
Date: Feb 22, 2002 (2 days) 
Expense: $1,875.76 
source 

Destination: DUBLIN, IRELAND 
Sponsor: Dublin Chamber of Commerce 
Purpose: FACT FINDING TRAVEL 
Date: Mar 25, 2002 (2 days) 
Expense: $2,022.71 
source 

Destination: LAS VEGAS 
Sponsor: Carpenters Union 
Purpose: ASSISTING SENATOR DURING SPEECH TO CONVENTION 
Date: Oct 5, 2002 
Expense: $2,722.50 
source 

Destination: ROCHESTER, NY TO WHITE PLAINS, NY 
Sponsor: University of Rochester 
Purpose: ACCOMPANY SENATOR TO OFFICIAL SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT 
Date: Oct 11, 2002 
Expense: $1,100.00 
source 

Destination: PENN YAN, NY TO WHITE PLAINS, NY 
Sponsor: New York Wine & Grape Foundation 
Purpose: FACT FINDING TRAVEL 
Date: Oct 15, 2002 
Expense: $1,061.50 
source 

Destination: ALBANY, NY TO WHITE PLAINS, NY 
Sponsor: General Electric Co 
Purpose: ASSIST SENATOR DURING MSNBC TV APPEARANCE 
Date: Nov 20, 2002 
Expense: $216.50 
source 

Destination: PALM SPRINGS, CA 
Sponsor: Betty Ford Center 
Purpose: SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT 
Date: Jan 17, 2003 (1 day) 
Expense: $325.00 
source 

Destination: WELLESLEY, MA 
Sponsor: Wellesley College 
Purpose: SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT 
Date: Feb 21, 2003 
Expense: $1,168.75 
source 

Destination: BUFFALO, NY 
Sponsor: Tata Consultency Services 
Purpose: COMPANY VISIT 
Date: Mar 10, 2003 
Expense: $778.50 
source 

Destination: SOUTHINGTON, CT 
Sponsor: Connecticut Democratic Party 
Purpose: SPEECH 
Date: Apr 29, 2003 
Expense: $1,700.00 
source 

Destination: CORNING, NY 
Sponsor: Corning Inc 
Purpose: SITE VISIT 
Date: Apr 29, 2003 
Expense: $1,366.00 
source 

Destination: WASHINGTON DC-BINGHAMPTON, NY-WHITE PLAINS, NY 
Sponsor: Lockheed Martin 
Purpose: BRIEFING AND TOUR 
Date: Jan 30, 2004 
Expense: $1,500.00 
source 

Destination: SYRACUSE, NY 
Sponsor: NEW JOBS NEW YORK 
Purpose: CONFERENCE AND SPEECH 
Date: Jun 7, 2004 
Expense: $1,654.00 
source 

Destination: SAN FRANCISCO, CA 
Sponsor: Panetta Institute 
Purpose: SPEECH 
Date: Jun 28, 2004 
Expense: $204.00 
source 

Destination: ASPEN, CO 
Sponsor: infoUSA.com Inc 
Purpose: SPEECH 
Date: Jul 17, 2004 (1 day) 
Expense: $2,083.00 
source 

Destination: DULLES, VA TO ALBANY, NY TO TELERBORO, NJ 
Sponsor: Lockheed Martin 
Purpose: SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT 
Date: Jul 23, 2004 
Expense: $520.00 
source 

Destination: BOSTON 
Sponsor: Tufts University 
Purpose: LECTURE 
Date: Nov 10, 2004 
Expense: $880.00 
source 

Destination: CALIFORNIA 
Sponsor: William Jefferson Clinton Foundation 
Purpose: MEETINGS AND DINNER FOR WJC PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY 
Date: Nov 12, 2004 
Expense: $2,800.00 
source 

Destination: LITTLE ROCK AR 
Sponsor: William Jefferson Clinton Foundation 
Purpose: OPENING OF PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY 
Date: Nov 17, 2004 (3 days) 
Expense: $1,636.00 
source 

Destination: BINGHAMTON 
Sponsor: Lockheed Martin 
Purpose: OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT 
Date: Jan 28, 2005 
Expense: $410.00 
source 

Destination: GERMANY 
Sponsor: German Media Prize 
Purpose: SPEECH 
Date: Feb 13, 2005 (1 day) 
Expense: $11,120.00 
source 

Destination: PAKISTAN-NEW DELHI INDIA-WHITE PLAINS, NY 
Sponsor: INDIA TODAY 
Purpose: SPEECH 
Date: Feb 23, 2005 (4 days) 
Expense: $6,093.00 
source 

Destination: WHITE PLAINS, NY TO BUFFALO, NY 
Sponsor: NEW JOBS NEW YORK 
Purpose: CONFERENCE AND SPEECH 
Date: Mar 7, 2005 
Expense: $437.00 
source 

Destination: ATLANTA, GEORGIA 
Sponsor: Agnes Scott College 
Purpose: COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS 
Date: May 13, 2005 (1 day) 
Expense: $272.00 
source 

Destination: WHITE PLAINS, NY-BOSTON 
Sponsor: Feinberg Foundation 
Purpose: SPEECH 
Date: Jun 17, 2005 
Expense: $468.00 
source 

[Fitzcarraldo]

Third Way Foundation.

I thought that was supposed to be a figment of a right winger's imagination.

Do we really want "them" to say the US Military is "theirs" once again?

[ReignOfError]

I'm pretty sure that's her. See post #229 for a picture hat's definitely her, but doesn't have as clear a shot of her face.