The couple in January 2011, at a ceremonial swearing in for then-Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) (Charles Dharapak/AP)
After nearly a decade of knowing each other and six years of marriage, Huma Abedin and Anthony Weiner are separating.
Abedin, a top aide to Hillary Clinton, released a statement Monday afternoon announcing their separation. It came hours after revelations that Weiner, a former congressman from New York, had sent a sexually suggestive picture of himself to another woman with his toddler son in the photo.
The power couple's marriage has been endlessly fascinating for the political world to watch and, yes, armchair-analyze -- especially after Abedin decided to stick with Weiner after a second sexting scandal. Here's a brief history of their long courtship and short marriage.
2001: Weiner asks Abedin to go on a date at a Martha's Vineyard Democratic National Committee retreat. Weiner was in his second term of Congress and Abedin then a senior adviser for then-Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.)
2008: They start dating during Clinton's first presidential campaign.
"One of the things that, because we became friendly, I found striking about Anthony was how smart he was, what a great debater he was. He was smart, he was passionate,” Abedin told Vogue in a piece published Aug. 17. “When he wanted to do something that he thought was the right thing to do, he would not give up. The kind of dedication and passion he had for helping people, I found very attractive and inspiring.”
July 2010: They marry in New York. Bill Clinton officiates.
The couple's wedding portrait at Oheka Castle in Huntington, N.Y. in July 2010. Hillary Clinton hosted an engagement party for the couple at her Washington home, where she told guests she considered Abedin her second daughter. Bill Clinton officiated at their wedding in the gardens of the Long Island venue. (Barbara Kinney/ AP file photo)
June 2011: A photograph of a man in his underpants appears on Weiner's Twitter account. He originally said his account had been "hacked," but he later admitted sending it and said it was a "joke" he intended to send as a direct message.
In a press conference, he apologizes "first and foremost to my wife and family."
"I have a loving wife. It's not anything like that," he tells reporters. "I treated it as a frivolous thing, not acknowledging that it was causing harm to so many people and would eventually come out."
"Where is she right now?" a reporter asks.
"She's not here," he replies.
Meanwhile, Abedin is secretly pregnant.
December, 2011: The couple's son, Jordan, is born.
June 16, 2011: Weiner resigns from Congress. His wife does not appear at the press conference.
April 2013: Abedin and Weiner appear in a New York Times Magazine profile titled "Anthony Weiner and Huma Abedin's Post-Scandal Playbook."
The two come across as a normal couple healing from a setback and itching to be in the public spotlight again. Here's how Van Meter describes what Abedin went through:
When I asked how long it took for her to think she might be able to get over what her husband did, she said, "That’s a really good question," and then took a minute. "At the time, we were very early in our marriage, but it was an old friendship. He was my best friend. In addition to that, I loved him. There was a deep love there, but it was coupled with a tremendous feeling of betrayal. It took a lot of work, both mentally and in the way we engage with each other, for me to get to a place where I said: ‘O.K., I’m in. I’m staying in this marriage.’ Here was a man I respected, I loved, was the father of this child inside of me, and he was asking me for a second chance. And I’m not going to say that was an easy or fast decision that I made. It’s been almost two years now. I did spend a lot of time saying and thinking: ‘I. Don’t. Understand.’ And it took a long time to be able to sit on a couch next to Anthony and say, ‘O.K., I understand and I forgive.’ It was the right choice for me. I didn’t make it lightly."
May 2013: Weiner announces he's running for mayor of New York City in a family-heavy video.The unspoken message: Abedin has forgiven him. Voters should, too.
"Look, I’ve made some big mistakes and I know I’ve let a lot of people down," he says in the video, which starts with him bringing their son, Jordan, baby food, and a smiling Abedin at the kitchen table.
"Every day starts right here," he says, picking up his son. "And it's the best part of my day."
The video ends with Weiner and Abedin on a flower-adorned New York City stoop.
"We love this city," Abedin says to the camera. "And no one will work harder to make it better than Anthony."
July 2013: Weiner holds a press coneference confirming reports that the sexting didn't stop after he resigned from Congress. Abedin is by his side.
"These things I did were wrong and hurtful to my wife and caused us to go through many challenges in our marriage," he said, reading from prepared remarks.
Abedin speaks, saying she's "very nervous."
When we faced this publicly two years ago it was the beginning of a time in our marriage that was very difficult. And it took us a very long time to get through it. Our marriage like many others has had its up and its downs. It took a lot of work and a whole lot of therapy to get to a place whee I could forgive Anthony. It was not an easy choice in any way. But I made the decision that it was worth staying in this marriage. That was a decision I made for me, for our son, and for our family. I didn't know how it would work out. But I did know that I wanted to give it a try. Anthony's made some horrible mistakes, both before he resigned from Congress, and after. But I do very strongly believe that it is between us and our marriage. We discussed all of this before Anthony decided to run for mayor. So really what I want to say is I love him, I have forgiven him, I believe in him, and as we have said from the beginning, we are moving forward.
September 2013: Weiner loses the Democratic mayoral primary.
May 2016: "Weiner" the documentary comes out and shocks everyone with the unflinching honesty with which it portrays Weiner and Abedin as new sexting revelations break during his mayoral campaign -- especially Abedin, who is now one of Clinton's top aides for her 2016 presidential campaign.
"It was astonishing for Abedin to have allowed such a film as 'Weiner' to be made at all," wrote Karen Tumulty, The Washington Post's national political correspondent, "much less to put a high-definition, close-up lens to the most humiliating chapter of her life."
Here's how Tumulty described one scene in which Abedin gets advice from her husband's mayoral campaign on how to handle the latest drama:
“I’ll give you some prep in the car,” Weiner says.
“You don’t know anything,” she replies.
“I would say you act like a normal campaign candidate’s wife: ‘I think Anthony is doing an amazing job. It’s great to be out here,’ " he persists.
Abedin slumps in her chair and buries her chin in one hand, fidgeting with the other.
Aug. 28, 2016: The New York Post reports that Weiner had been sexting with another woman, and this time the couple's toddler son, Jordan, is in the photo.
The paper publishes the photo with Jordan's face pixelated next to his father's crotch.
Aug. 29, 2016: Abedin releases a statement saying the two are separating.
Huma Abedin and Anthony Weiner are separating pic.twitter.com/4WVZxfTMmo
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) August 29, 2016
"After a long and painful consideration and work on my marriage, I have made the decision to separate from my husband. Anthony and I remain devoted to doing what is best for our son, who is the light of our life. During this difficult time, I ask for respect for our privacy."
