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You are here: Home / And Monday Starts with a Bang

And Monday Starts with a Bang

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Whatever happened to being discreet? Can’t this man find one woman who will sext him up and not run to the damned press?

I should also add that I rented the Weiner documentary, and it was amazing. I loved it. Having said that, and adding the caveat that you never want to do a remote diagnosis of someone’s marriage because it’s A.) none of your fucking business and B.) who knows what is really going on, but if you watch the documentary, his behavior is clearly putting her through hell. It’s a particular kind of cruelty to do that to someone. It would be bad enough if it was any average guy, but the fact that this will be splashed all over the media is just horrifying for her.

I feel terrible for her.

Reader Interactions

175Comments

  1. 1.

    Woodrowfan

    for all we know he’s been sexting with dozens of women and stumbled on one that outed him.

  2. 2.

    Comrade Jake

    I’m going to go out on a limb here and suggest the danger of being, ahem – exposed, is part of what gets the Weiner excited.

    No matter what, the dude has issues.

  3. 3.

    Betty Cracker

    He’s a stupid creep, and the Beltway press will use this latest evidence of that to run down his wife and her boss.

  4. 4.

    CONGRATULATIONS!

    Can’t this man find one woman who will sext him up and not run to the damned press?

    NO, and he needs to figure that the fuck out and STOP DOING IT.

  6. 6.

    Mary G

    @Betty Cracker: Yeah, they’re going to say Huma learned to tolerate a horndog husband from Hillary.

    It seems like a cry for help – to sext someone while in bed with your kid is icky as hell.

  9. 9.

    Trentrunner

    Not quite sure how this is ethically different from the hacking & release of nude photos of Jennifer Lawrence et al. a few years back.

    Isn’t this called revenge porn, and isn’t it against the law yet?

  10. 10.

    MazeDancer

    He’s a stupid creep, and the Beltway press will use this latest evidence of that to run down his wife and her boss.

    @Betty Cracker:

    So true. Weiner clearly needs way more help than he’s getting. And he better be announcing some kind of entry into some kind of rehab, doesn’t matter if it’s not drugs. He sexted a picture that included his child. Unsafe, horrifying.

    Press will go crazy, but if he doesn’t go to some kind of intensive treatment immediately, they will go crazier. And Huma being out of the house, leaving the child with him is also now open for attack. It will also bring up the “wrong to stay with the creep” parallels with Hillary.

    May Weiner work through his demons. Go to treatment. Move out of the house. Get treated for a few years. Then write a book and work the comeback trail. Or just stay hidden. But may he spare his family more pain now.

  11. 11.

    bemused

    He’s addicted. I would have cut the guy loose the very second his obsession came out the first time. It’s not just Abidin involved. I’d be very concerned about how Weiner’s fetish will affect her little boy’s behavior toward women and sex.

  13. 13.

    debit

    He obviously cannot control himself. I feel sorry for him and his family, moreso his family. This is utterly humiliating for his wife, but under no circumstances is she responsible for his behavior.

  14. 14.

    Amir Khalid

    @Betty Cracker:
    If anything, Huma Abedin is a victim in all this. Just like like Hillary was a victim of Bill’s infidelity.So that will be something Huma and Hillary have in common. As for the bad boy himself, he may have an untreated sex-addiction problem. Which of course excuses neither his stupidity nor his creepy behaviour.

  16. 16.

    MattF

    Addicts find all sorts of rationalizations for their behavior, and keep doing it. Is this news?

  17. 17.

    Brent

    @Trentrunner: Well it seems like a crappy thing to do but this was a picture he sent to her, right? She can do with it as she wishes, even if its not such a nice thing to do.

    I don’t have a chance to look up the Jennifer Lawrence story but I was under the impression she was hacked. That is rather a different ethical and legal question altogether.

  18. 18.

    Major Major Major Major

    I doubt that this will go anywhere outside of point-and-laugh New York folks. It’s old news at this point even if it’s new. And nobody gives a shit about Huma except the true believers on the far right. Yawn.

    Weiner is a silly, stupid man. Is the documentary good?

  19. 19.

    Amir Khalid

    @Trentrunner:
    You can argue if you like that Jennifer Lawrence maybe contributed to the leak by being careless with her nude photos, but unlike our boy Anthony she wasn’t looking for help to cheat on a domestic partner,

  20. 20.

    Saskexpat

    @Trentrunner: It probably should be illegal, but NY has no state law prohibiting this type of disclosure. NY makes publishing secret photos or recordings illegal, but doesn’t cover private materials where the subject consented to the photos. Publishing the Jennifer Lawrence photos would be OK, if they had been lawfully obtained, instead of hacked.

  21. 21.

    germy

    @Amir Khalid:

    If anything, Huma Abedin is a victim in all this.

    I read she never signed a release to give them permission to show her in the film. So apparently she was victimized twice.

    Here’s my comment from a thread below:

    Re: Anthony Weiner: How long before the NYpOst’s favorite candidate makes this a “Hillary’s poor judgement” issue?

    He’s always annoyed me. I remember seeing a video where he entered a bagel shop (for a photo op?) and women were behind the counter making bagels and cleaning up. Activity stopped briefly while he made his grand entrance. Then in a loud voice he commanded the bagel shop employees “Get back to work, ladies!”

    He reminded me of every entitled, douchebag prick small-business boss I’ve ever seen.

  22. 22.

    gene108

    @schrodinger’s cat:

    I will give you something to be outraged about, Joe Arapaio is Trump’s adviser on immigration.

    Kris Kobach was Romney’s immigration adviser. Kobach’s done more harm, because he’s actually gotten laws enacted.

    There are no good Republicans left, with regards to immigration, if there ever were any.

    Trump’s shown the Republicans are a white nativist Party and trying to run against that will not work.

  23. 23.

    Trentrunner

    @Amir Khalid: How do we know that? We have NO IDEA what people use these photos for. Debating whether the photos were “properly” used is for those personally involved with the photos, not for those who were never supposed to see the photos, i.e., US.

  24. 24.

    germy

    @Woodrowfan:

    for all we know he’s been sexting with dozens of women and stumbled on one that outed him.

    This latest woman… did someone here say she’s connected with the drumpf campaign? If so, they’re exploiting his stupid reckless sickness.

    Weiner needs to check into a facility that deals with addiction. Take away his phone until he can use it responsibly.

  25. 25.

    coin operated

    I am not a psychologist, but the old adage of “repeatedly doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results” might apply in this case….

  28. 28.

    germy

    @MattF:

    Addicts find all sorts of rationalizations for their behavior, and keep doing it.
    Is this news?

    It always seems to get more attention from the MSM than when republicans like Vitter are caught with their pants down.

  30. 30.

    germy

    @schrodinger’s cat: Sometimes when my wife and I are watching the Snooze Hour or the network TV news, I’ll sit with my laptop and google the organizations the guests are from. Mostly rightwing think tanks. I remember one ABC news “expose” about the VA, and the expert they consulted with was from a Koch-funded group advocating for privatization. (wasn’t mentioned during the story)

  32. 32.

    Amir Khalid

    @Trentrunner:
    Do you know that she was? I didn’t know (and still don’t, nor do I care) if she even had a domestic partner to cheat on. It’s not my place to judge why she had those photos. What matters is that her privacy was violated by an outsider; she didn’t willingly yield it to them, unlike the Weiner,

  33. 33.

    germy

    @schrodinger’s cat:

    PS must be the worst of the Snooze Hour correspondents.

    It’s infuriating because we specifically turn to PBS as an antidote to the commercial stations. But they’re getting shittier, like NPR.

    And often I literally do fall asleep during the Snooze Hour. And I mean literally, not figuratively.

  34. 34.

    Cermet

    That piece of work is a loser with a capital “L”. I have little doubt his wife was attracted by his over-the-top qualities; I’ve seen too many men with that sick over-vert personal problem attract many woman. That said, she either gets him help or dumps his dumb ass – if neither, she is at fault knowing full well that this typical, run of the mill sex predator will just continue – fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice … .

  35. 35.

    geg6

    @debit:

    This.

    He’s obviously got a major problem that needs major treatment. I feel for him, because he obviously can’t stop himself and it’s totally destroying him and his entire family. I also feel awful for Huma and that little boy. I understand her wanting to save her marriage and have an intact family for their child. But man, this is too much. I wouldn’t stand for it myself, but I also understand that not everybody else thinks the way I do. I also loved and had a committed relationship with a serial cheater. But the moment I found out about it, I was out of there. For me, the worst part was that everyone knew for years and years and didn’t tell me. Huma has more patience than I do for this stuff and I support her decision to hang in there. I just don’t know how she does it.

  37. 37.

    debit

    @Cermet: Oh come on. It doesn’t matter what she does, someone will shit on her for it. If she leaves him she’s a bitch for not standing by her man in his time of need. If she stays she’s a weak enabler and deserves blame for his actions.

    ETA: and maybe she loves the son of a bitch and is capable of forgiving him. We don’t know, we aren’t in her shoes.

  38. 38.

    geg6

    @Major Major Major Major:

    I’ve read several reviews that says it is really good, in a trainwreck kind of way. Meaning that, if you like watching trainwrecks in progress, it’s fascinating. He’s a really interesting case in many ways.

  39. 39.

    gene108

    @Hal:

    There should be a compendium video, where you dump a white person into a room full of non-whites and the non-whites have to take special care not to have the already uncomfortable white person from feeling more awkward.

  40. 40.

    debit

    @geg6: Yeah. Infidelity is my line in the sand: I can forgive and live with a lot of things, but not that. Why she stays is her private business and none of ours. I just feel so awful for her and can’t imagine how humiliating and painful this must be.

  41. 41.

    germy

    Guardian UK:
    Trump’s slump in Nascar country deepens Republican fears of defeat
    – Even at the Hall of Fame in North Carolina, pessimism is rising as fast as the billionaire falls in the polls, threatening GOP control of Congress

  43. 43.

    Cacti

    @MazeDancer:

    So true. Weiner clearly needs way more help than he’s getting. And he better be announcing some kind of entry into some kind of rehab, doesn’t matter if it’s not drugs. He sexted a picture that included his child. Unsafe, horrifying.

    Press will go crazy, but if he doesn’t go to some kind of intensive treatment immediately, they will go crazier. And Huma being out of the house, leaving the child with him is also now open for attack. It will also bring up the “wrong to stay with the creep” parallels with Hillary.

    Sexting with a minor child in the photos is something that could get the police and CPS involved.

  44. 44.

    germy

    @debit: I remember reading an article in some science magazine or another (I can’t remember which one now) and it said there is a strain of gonorrhea going around that is resistant to all known antibiotics.

    I suspect his activities aren’t limited to his cell phone.

  45. 45.

    geg6

    I just feel so awful for her imagining how a humiliating and painful this must be.

    Seriously. For me, it was all compounded by the fact that, apparently, most of our friends had known for years and that the woman he was cheating with someone that I had considered a casual friends who had been to our home for parties and events and, even, overnight when she was going through a bad divorce. I really thought she was my friend. Horrible feeling. Huma doesn’t have that particular humiliation, but then, the national press couldn’t have cared less about my relationship. I don’t know which is worse, really.

  46. 46.

    Amir Khalid

    @debit:
    I agree. I think it’s wrong to judge Huma over this. This is Anthony’s failing, and he should be the one to seek professional help. I don’t believe he can’t, so if he won’t it’s on him and not her.

  47. 47.

    gene108

    @germy:

    It always seems to get more attention from the MSM than when republicans like Vitter are caught with their pants down.

    That’s because Vitter’s a Christian and sought forgiveness in Christ.

    Weiner’s a Jew, who’ll roast in Hell.

    Or something like that.

    Basically Christians get a pass, because faith in Christ wipes away all sins and you are redeemed. And somehow the media seems to go along with the press-conference act of contrition.

    You can’t really do that as a non-Christian, so you’re stuck with your sins, because you aren’t going to say you’ve turned to Christ and all is forgiven and the media will hound you as you are not redeemed.

  49. 49.

    SenyorDave

    @germy: Am I a bad person for wishing I could see Arapaio in prison garb being frogmarched on the evening TV network news? Because I do.

    I look forward to that lardass whining that its too hot for him in the middle of the summer since he has bragged in the past about how hot it gets in his prisons.

    And since Sheriff Joe has laughed off violence in his prisons in the past, I look forward to him meeting his cellmate Roscoe, who spends all his waking hours working out, and having Roscoe explain to him how things work around here.

    I believe in karma, and hopefully Sheriff Joe will get his karma. Who knows, maybe it will make him a better person.

  50. 50.

    Amir Khalid

    @germy:
    Ever since NASCAR dads became a political thing, I’ve wondered: what party do IndyCar fans support? And what about demolition derby fans?

  51. 51.

    germy

    @Amir Khalid:

    what party do IndyCar fans support? And what about demolition derby fans?

    I’m guessing IndyCar fans will vote for Johnson while demolition derby fans will go for drumpf because they want to see this whole fucking 200+ year experiment blow up and burn to the ground…

  53. 53.

    MomSense

    @germy:

    He reminded me of every entitled, douchebag prick small-business boss I’ve ever seen.

    I had a dyslexic moment and read that as …every entitled, douchebag, small prick business boss I’ve ever seen. I kinda like my version better.

    I do feel for Huma. He clearly has a problem for which he has not received adequate treatment. This has to be devastating for her. I hope she is getting the support she needs.

  55. 55.

    Juju

    I looked at the picture with the child and the child does not look like a four year old to me. The child is nearly five now. Not that it makes anything any better, but I suspect the picture was taken more than a year ago.

  61. 61.

    R-Jud

    @Amir Khalid:

    Ever since NASCAR dads became a political thing, I’ve wondered: what party do IndyCar fans support? And what about demolition derby fans?

    And nobody talks about roller derby moms. What’s the deal there?

  62. 62.

    geg6

    @debit:

    They are still seeing each other, but in a very unhappy, breaking up constantly kind of relationship. I still see him every now and again and we’ll have a drink or coffee and, I must admit, his unhappiness in his relationship gives me a little bit of schadenfreude. He mainly stays with her (they live separately) because of his close relationship with her daughter. Since I’m now in a very happy relationship, I smile and pat his hand and tell him how sorry I am. LOL!

  63. 63.

    Ivan X

    There was a scene in the short-lived but hilarious and well-made Amazon Prime series called Alpha House, in which a sex addict senator gets told by his chief of staff and someone else I forget, when he asks what he should do, they respond in unison, “GET HELP!” Life imitates art.

    An aside: John Cole, for a self-avowed misanthrope, how do you have so much decent and correct human insight? It’s admirable.

  64. 64.

    Xantar

    Twitter is passing around a statement from Huma saying that she’s separating film Anthony.

    Can’t verify it right now. Who could possibly blame her at this point, though?

  68. 68.

    PaulWartenberg2016

    I just saw the photo involving Anthony’s Weiner.

    /headdesk

    I say we either take away Anthony’s smartphone or we take away Anthony’s d-ck. He’s proven time and again he cannot be trusted with both.

  71. 71.

    geg6

    @germy:

    I caught word of this on CBS This Morning while putting my makeup on today. Dan Senor was brought on to comment and his contempt for Drumpf was palpable. And I wasn’t even watching, just listening. He basically said Clinton will wipe the floor with him, in so many words.

  72. 72.

    Frankensteinbeck

    This guy’s marriage is not my business, leaking photos of him is exactly equally as wrong as leaking photos of a celebrity, and if his wife is humiliated by the public exposure that is to the blame of the leaker. Hell, the relationship exposed here seems to have been entirely consensual. Unless Weiner is a moral crusader and thus a hypocrite like most conservatives in sex scandals, I have no interest in giving him Hell for this.

  75. 75.

    one_particular_harbour, fka Botsplainer

    @Cacti:

    Yup – this stuff definitely trigger CPS investigation, and the imposition of an informal safety plan at minimum that would include no lone time given his clear state of arousal. Hate to say it, but as a long time participant in these cases, she has one of two choices – ditch him or resign, because that’s going to be the only way she keeps her child.

    I’m remembering that when he was the darling of pure progressives, I had to remind myself to refrain from ramming a fist through my TV when I would hear him speak.

  77. 77.

    Amir Khalid

    @Xantar:
    It’s not the only possible decision she could have made, but it’s justifiable in the circumstances. And I think that’s all anyone not in that marriage has a right to say.

  80. 80.

    one_particular_harbour, fka Botsplainer

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    I’d agree with you, except for the fact that he’s got his kid in the growing boner shot.

    That’s a bad no-no, and can classify as dependency, neglect or abuse, take your pick.

    If he were a common schlub and she some corporate drone in one of my courts, we’d be giving her a choice – drop him or lose your child.

    We see resistance to terminating toxic relationships all the time, and have zero tolerance for when the children are put at risk.

  81. 81.

    JR in WV

    @germy:

    Or even in his professional garb being perp-walked into a federal courthouse… by 4 burly U S Marshalls, one a female, one of Hispanic heritage, one Asian and a Black man, just for the modern equality of the thing.

  84. 84.

    germy

    @JR in WV:

    Or even in his professional garb being perp-walked into a federal courthouse… by 4 burly U S Marshalls, one a female, one of Hispanic heritage, one Asian and a Black man, just for the modern equality of the thing.

    that would be sweet: a multi-cultural perp walk. Would it scare some sense into LePage?
    Probably not…

  85. 85.

    Cat48

    A separation is good, she can divorce him after the campaign ends. Huma & her son are on Long Island with her mom, not Weiner.

  87. 87.

    one_particular_harbour, fka Botsplainer

    @Cat48:

    Or she can divorce him now, and save herself the pain. No matter what, she’s still facing a CPS investigation.

  88. 88.

    hovercraft

    @gene108:
    The rights sexual escapades are simply Christians falling from Grace, and when they are caught they are brought closer to God through being publicly humiliated and asking God for his forgiveness. Democrats are not devout so their sins must follow them for the rest of their lives, and they must be revived every time their name is mentioned. Sanford, Trump, Gingrich, Vitter, and Gulliani, never mention their pasts.

  89. 89.

    Brendancalling

    @geg6: I feel ya. My ex decided after nearly 7 years of monogamy that she was “polyamorous” and spent the last year of what was left of our relationship shoving it up my nose.

    I have no particular insight into the Abedin/Weiner marriage, but a partner who routinely humiliates his or her spouse is not a good partner.

  90. 90.

    hellslittlestangel

    @Trentrunner: Good for her. While ordinarily I consider other people’s relationships none of my business, I defended that jerkoff Anthony Weiner when the original picture came out (via Breitbart, for fuck’s sake!), and the only thing he can do now that I’d approve of is to walk into an open elevator shaft.

  92. 92.

    hovercraft

    @geg6:
    A cheating spouse is awful under any circumstance, but doing it with a ‘friend’ and with the knowledge of many of your other ‘friends’ adds a whole other level of pain to it. It may not be on national TV, but it may as well be since your ‘public’ knows and knew about it even before you did. So sorry for your ordeal.

  93. 93.

    Kay Eye

    One of his sick satisfactions was getting caught. The other was the humiliation of his wife. She’s outta there, and good for her.

  95. 95.

    Davebo

    @debit:

    ..maybe she loves the son of a bitch and is capable of forgiving him. We don’t know, we aren’t in her shoes.

    More importantly, it’s none of our business.

  96. 96.

    one_particular_harbour, fka Botsplainer

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Thing is, this one is vastly different – the moron actually sent a photo with the kid in the room.

    Bill was just a garden variety horndog – I get that.

  97. 97.

    Davebo

    Honestly I think fretting over this drama for fear of negative political implications for your side is no different than exploiting it for political gain for your side.

    I can’t stop the press from reporting on it but I don’t have to read it.

  98. 98.

    Barbara

    @Betty Cracker: Weiner is pathetic. I remember thinking that he was a self-promoter, but basically a good guy for not being afraid to speak up for liberal policies, especially the ACA when it had few friends willing to go to bat for it in public. But it seems like however much Weiner’s political heart is in the right place, he cannot be satisfied unless he is the center of his own universe. I don’t care if he is a sex or a sexting addict. The world is bigger than him, and sabotaging himself was bad enough, but now, the willingness to sabotage his wife, and ultimately all the other things that he said he cared about is simply incredible.

  99. 99.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Juju: It was taken a year ago. The activities, as reported, occurred at the end of 2015. They are just being reported now starting in a conservative NY news publication.

  100. 100.

    germy

    @Adam L Silverman:

    It was taken a year ago. The activities, as reported, occurred at the end of 2015. They are just being reported now starting in a conservative NY news publication.

    Incredible timing.

  101. 101.

    schrodinger's cat

    This is a distraction, away from Trump’s campaign going bust. Weiner is not in Congress, nor running for anything. At this point he is a private individual. I am going to spend zero time worrying about this guy and his questionable proclivities.

  102. 102.

    Juju

    @Adam L Silverman: I saw that, but the child still seems small for a four year old to me. On the other hand, I come from a family of giants, and my judgment of ages of small children may be off.

  104. 104.

    Adam L Silverman

    @germy: Not incredible, planned. Given how modern campaigns work, and given who is involved with the current one, this release was timed for effect.

  105. 105.

    hovercraft

    @Adam L Silverman:
    Dammit Adam, why do have to be damn prescient? Now if you can predict who will be the first to make this point you will win best BJ front pager of the day.

  106. 106.

    germy

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Not incredible, planned. Given how modern campaigns work, and given who is involved with the current one, this release was timed for effect.

    Well, they succeeded in hastening the breakup of a marriage. I’m not sure if their efforts will swing the election.

  107. 107.

    Adam L Silverman

    @schrodinger’s cat: This isn’t intended for you to marvel at Weiner (either one). It is timed to keep Secretary Clinton’s top aide in the mainstream/corporate news cycle. This gives Breitbart and Drudge and Jones and Limbaugh and the Post and the Observer etc the excuse to focuse on Huma Abedin, that she’s Arab (ETA for clarity: even though she’s not) and of Muslim descent. Last week they were alleging that her mother was a radical Muslim extremist and revolutionary. The mainstream/corporate reporting, as well as Limbaugh will focus on why was Abedin so much of a better, stronger woman than her boss – able to put her foot down and then walk it and the other one out of the door for the good of herself and her family. The extremes will use the fact that Abedin is in the news to push the Muslim Brotherhood takeover of the Democratic Party, the current Administration, and the US. All teed up quite nicely for Trump’s immigration speech this week in Arizona.

    (Edited to clarify Abedin’s bio.)

  108. 108.

    hovercraft

    @schrodinger’s cat:
    But Trump is flailing, his softening or maybe hardening stance ( is it a wide one?) has been the lead story on every news show for the last few days. They are throwing him a life preserver. Since the statement msnbc has had three breaking news bulletins about Huma and the Dick.

  109. 109.

    Steeplejack

    The Times story today (“Anthony Weiner and Huma Abedin to Separate After His Latest Sexting Scandal”) has a pretty good recap of the whole affair, for those who want to get (back) up to speed.

    Also, to Cole’s mention of the documentary: “Anthony Weiner Says His Wife Never Agreed to That Documentary.” (That’s from August 19.)

    Why, after the scandal broke, given the personal and embarrassing nature of it, didn’t Weiner just stop allowing access to the Weiner cameras? Weiner mentioned that one of the filmmakers, Josh Kriegman, was a friend and former aide, and he felt a degree of loyalty to him. “I generally wasn’t going to pull the plug,” he said. I asked Weiner whether his wife got a vote on this.

    “Um, so here’s the thing,” Weiner said. “I haven’t told—I haven’t gone here yet with anybody. So, they violated the agreement not to use her.” The filmmakers had told Weiner that they would not include Abedin in the film without her permission, he said. “They didn’t have a release,” he told me. “She had to grant permission, which she didn’t.”

    Kriegman is traveling on vacation and could not be reached. Lisa Califf, spokeswoman and counsel for the film, disputed that any agreement had been breached. “As is clear in the film, the filmmakers had consent from everyone who appears in the film, including Anthony and Huma,” said Califf via email.

    Weiner said Kriegman had assured him verbally and in emails that he would not use Abedin in the film without her consent. Both Weiner and Abedin were infuriated when they learned the film would go forward, and prominently feature behind-the-scenes footage of Abedin. (In a follow-up phone conversation, Califf said she could not discuss details relating to any discussions that took place between Kriegman and Weiner.) I asked Weiner if he had any plans to sue the filmmakers. “I mean, who knows what happens in the future,” he said.

  110. 110.

    germy

    @Adam L Silverman:

    This isn’t intended for you to marvel at Weiner (either one). It is timed to keep Secretary Clinton’s top aide in the mainstream/corporate news cycle. This gives Breitbart and Drudge and Jones and Limbaugh and the Post and the Observer etc the excuse to focuse on Huma Abedin…

    Ahh… so both sides then.

  111. 111.

    Adam L Silverman

    @hovercraft: I have no idea. Could be Hannity. He seems to be the favored Trump outlet these days. Could be Laura Ingraham on her radio show – she was reportedly with the Trump’s over the weekend. Could be Guiliani, which puts the NY spin on it. If they go with immediately linking Abedin’s family with the Muslim Brotherhood it will be Michelle Bachmann, who led that charge on behalf of Frank Gaffney in 2012, Gaffney himself, or one of the commenters on cable news that is within his funding orbit. Probably Cliff May.

  113. 113.

    hitchhiker

    @hovercraft:

    True story: Several years ago a woman named J became part of a fairly close knit circle that included 8 or 9 couples. Frequent gatherings, kids growing up together, many shared camping trips, etc.

    J was married, but her spouse never joined us … a lot of the time he lived in a different city, and their marriage was kind of understood to be a mutually agreeable distance thing.

    So J inserted herself neatly into one particular family’s doings — became best friend to the wife, showed up to help whenever needed, shuttled kids around, took care of pets, and so on.

    Turned out that J was also taking off her clothes with husband in that family, for YEARS, with not one of us ever suspecting. She sent me an email after this had become known, explaining that life is complicated and relationships can take many forms.

    The double betrayal was almost beyond comprehension … J had been chief confidante with the wife, who shared many sad wonderings about why her husband seemed to have become distant.

    I really can’t stand lying about sex in relationships. If you’re going to go outside, for feck’s sake, be kind and say so up front. Your partner has a right to know.

  115. 115.

    hovercraft

    @Adam L Silverman:
    The Trump statement in the New York Times story .

    But Ms. Abedin’s separation quickly became political fodder for Donald J. Trump, Mrs. Clinton’s Republican opponent.

    “Huma is making a very wise decision. I know Anthony Weiner well, and she will be far better off without him,” Mr. Trump said in a statement.

    “I only worry for the country in that Hillary Clinton was careless and negligent in allowing Weiner to have such close proximity to highly classified information,” he continued. “Who knows what he learned and who he told? It’s just another example of Hillary Clinton’s bad judgment. It is possible that our country and its security have been greatly compromised by this.”

  116. 116.

    Felanius Kootea

    New York Times says Huma just announced their separation. I feel so bad for her. He has an addiction and is probably in denial about the fact that he is addicted. Maybe this will wake him up and get him to seek out the treatment he needs. The Times article says the woman he’s been sexting is an avid Trump supporter who’s bashed Clinton and Obama on Twitter – he had to have seen some of that but it didn’t stop him. He really needs help.

  120. 120.

    Adam L Silverman

    @hovercraft: Weiner wouldn’t have been read into anything he didn’t need to know as Congressman. Once he resigned from Congress his clearance was deactivated. Clearances for members of Congress are not given the same way as for those who are civil servants, uniformed military, and/or contractors.

  121. 121.

    Cacti

    @hovercraft:

    “I only worry for the country in that Hillary Clinton was careless and negligent in allowing Weiner to have such close proximity to highly classified information,” he continued. “Who knows what he learned and who he told? It’s just another example of Hillary Clinton’s bad judgment. It is possible that our country and its security have been greatly compromised by this.”

    Weak.

  122. 122.

    Punchy

    I realize polls are iffy before Sept, but what the f#ck is going on in PA? According to TPM (fairly accurate), HRC had a ~11 pt lead there last week. Now it’s down to 3.6. GOP-friendly polls being factored in or is this a real shift to Don Dollar? I see FL has tightened as well, but FL is so full of whackjobs in the north that polling of that state is very geographically dependent.

    Have a really hard time believing that peeps are moving toward DT, so perhaps these are just peeps moving off of HRC.

  124. 124.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Amir Khalid: I know that. Her father is from India, mother is from Pakistan. However, it is an article of faith in conservative America that her family is from Egypt and are heavily involved with the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and that her official bio is a lie/cover story to fool the rubes.

  125. 125.

    CONGRATULATIONS!

    Strategem is right here in this very helpful Reuters – remember they’re impartial, haha – headline:

    Reuters
    Clinton aide Abedin leaves husband Weiner after sexting report
    Reuters – ‎34 minutes ago‎
    Huma Abedin, longtime aide to Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, attends a Clinton campaign rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.

    Clinton: 3 mentions, one photo
    Abedin: 2 mentions
    Weiner: 1 mention

  130. 130.

    Enhanced Voting Techinques

    @hovercraft:

    The rights sexual escapades are simply Christians falling from Grace, and when they are caught they are brought closer to God through being publicly humiliated and asking God for his forgiveness. Democrats are not devout so their sins must follow them for the rest of their lives, and they must be revived every time their name is mentioned. Sanford, Trump, Gingrich, Vitter, and Gulliani, never mention their pasts

    Preach it brother, that’s John Calvin’s TULIP right there in action. ALL are depraved and deserve eternal torture for the crime of just existing, but God in His mercy created Christians (as in Republican, white and male) to accept Jesus as their savior so they are forgiven, french fry time for everyone else.

  132. 132.

    Amir Khalid

    @hovercraft:
    She has had quite a cosmopolitan upbringing. Her father was born in New Delhi, her mother was born prior to partition in what is now Pakistan, Huma herself in Michigan. The family was based in Jeddah but she went to school in Britain before returning to the US for college.

  133. 133.

    Adam L Silverman

    @gwangung: I lived through Congresswoman Bachmann and her Gang of Five directed inquest into the Muslim Brotherhood takeover of 5 key US government agencies/departments on behalf of Frank Gaffney’s untreated paranoid monomania: The White House/Executive Office of the President, the Department of State (point person Huma Abedin), the Department of Defense, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Homeland Security. I burned up at least 30 hours jumping through my grommet answering requests for information for my higher headquarters at TRADOC so they could answer their RFIs up the TRADOC chain of command. At the same time I was then copying and pasting and/or revising and/or writing separate answers for the USAWC RFIs that had to be answered up its chain of command to the Chief of Staff of the Army. And, as the person who had most recently taught the elective course on extremism and terrorism – even though I wasn’t scheduled to do that elective that year – I offered, and it was accepted, that I’d add a mini, five lesson version of my religious and other identity violence and extremism course to that academic year’s elective schedule on top of my already scheduled culture, strategy, and policy elective. And that 30 hours was on top of all the actual, regularly scheduled work I was already doing that week.

  134. 134.

    Adam L Silverman

    @hovercraft: @Amir Khalid: Also shows how little anyone in the US knows about the differences from Saudi salafism (Abdul Wahhab’s tawheed/radical unity of the deity) versus Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood’s idea of salafism (Qutb’s Islamic revivalism and politicization of Islam). The Saudi muwaheedun (adherents of tawheed) and the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood are in direct competition and don’t get along all that well.

  135. 135.

    Denali

    Notice how the conversation has shifted from Trump’s campaign manager’s racism and anti-semitism. Yes, the timing is very telling. Wish everyone could simply ignore this story. It only comtributes to the both sides narrative. Why are we so fascinated by slimy gossip?

  138. 138.

    hovercraft

    @Adam L Silverman: @Adam L Silverman:
    The right has been pushing hard to make Huma, Muslim Brotherhood a story. Last week in the Wa Post:

    “Why aren’t we talking about Huma [Abedin] and her ties to the Muslim Brotherhood? Why aren’t we talking about the fact that she was an editor for a Sharia newspaper?”

    — Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.), interview on CNN, Aug. 23, 2016
    Roger Stone, a top adviser to GOP nominee Donald Trump, described Abedin on Aug. 23 as a “Saudi asset.” Her name popped in the news again after the New York Post published an article Aug. 21 titled, “Huma Abedin worked at a radical Muslim journal for a dozen years” — what Duffy was referring to when he said she was “an editor for a Sharia newspaper.”

    These are the articles under the tag Huma Abedin over the last 10 days at Briehtbart.

    Tag: Huma Abedin

    Calling It Quits: Huma Abedin Announces Decision to Split With Anthony Weiner
    Hillary Clinton’s close aide Huma Abedin revealed in a statement to reporters that she would separate from her husband Anthony Wiener after the former New York Congressman embarrassed her again with lewd online behavior with other women.

    by CHARLIE SPIERING29 Aug 2016, 8:36 AM PDT2310

    Again?! Anthony Weiner Deletes Twitter After Embarrassing Clinton Campaign With More Racy Photos
    Former New York Congressman Anthony Weiner deleted his Twitter account this morning, after his racy online behavior was again splashed on the front pages of the New York tabloids. This time Weiner was caught sending racy pictures to a woman while his son was in bed with him — a new low for the man married to Hillary Clinton’s top aide, Huma Abedin.

    by CHARLIE SPIERING29 Aug 2016, 4:54 AM PDT4307

    Roseanne: Hillary and Her ‘Nazi’ Advisors Will Be ‘Death of Israel’
    Comedian and former presidential candidate Roseanne Barr blasted “Jew hater” Hillary Clinton and her “filthy Nazi” advisors on social media this week, arguing that if Clinton were to win the presidency in November, it would mean the “death of Israel.”

    by DANIEL NUSSBAUM28 Aug 2016, 11:13 AM PDT543

    Alt-Jihad: Hillary Clinton Aide Edited Antisemitic Journal
    Huma Abedin, the closest aide to Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, helped edit a Muslim journal that published negative statements about Jews, including accusing Jews of “working the American political system” and exploiting the Holocaust.

    by JOEL B. POLLAK24 Aug 2016, 6:10 PM PDT624

    Clinton Approved Arms Sales After Big Donations from Bahrain
    One of the more eyebrow-raising stories from the Clinton Foundation “pay to play” scandal is Crown Prince Salman of Bahrain – whose kingdom donated up to $150,000 directly to the Foundation, plus another $32 million to the Clinton Global Initiative

    by JOHN HAYWARD24 Aug 2016, 5:13 PM PDT170

    NY Post’s Sperry on Huma Abedin’s Role at Radical Muslim Journal: ‘Clearly She Has Two Faces’
    Wednesday on Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends,” New York Post columnist Paul Sperry detailed the connections of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s top aide Huma Abedin had with a radical Muslim journal run by her mother. Sperry said, “Well,

    by PAM KEY24 Aug 2016, 9:47 AM PDT97

    Released Hillary Clinton Email: ‘I Still Don’t Feel Great’
    On May 4, 2009, Hillary Clinton wrote to her top aide Huma Abedin, “I still don’t feel great,” and Clinton requested an Air Force plane instead of taking a shuttle from Westchester, New York, to get to Washington, D.C., according to an email released Monday by Judicial Watch.

    by AARON KLEIN22 Aug 2016, 6:35 PM PDT1574

    12 Reasons Why This Was Hillary Clinton’s Worst Week Ever
    Hillary Clinton just had the worst week of her presidential campaign, if not her political life. Don’t believe me? Let us count the ways.

    by EZRA DULIS22 Aug 2016, 5:34 PM PDT1310

    State Dept. Spox: Emails Not Evidence of Clinton Foundation Pay-to-Play, ‘Simply Evidence of the Way the Process Works’
    The spokesman for the State Department had a difficult time during Monday’s hostile and at times uncomfortably awkward briefing with reporters as he attempted to explain away the relationship between the State Department under Democratic nominee for president Hillary R. Clinton and the Clinton Foundation.

    by NEIL W. MCCABE22 Aug 2016, 5:03 PM PDT249

    Bill Clinton Aide Asked State Dept to Do Favor for Foundation Friend Bono
    A new batch of emails from Hillary Clinton’s tenure at the State Department released by Judicial Watch on Monday reveals that a former aide to Bill Clinton asked State to accommodate a request from Clinton Foundation supporter and U2 lead singer Bono.

    by DANIEL NUSSBAUM22 Aug 2016, 2:39 PM PDT554

    New Emails Show Top Clinton Aide Huma Abedin Setting Up Meetings with Major Foundation Donors
    Newly released emails reveal that top aide to Hillary Clinton Huma Abedin regularly facilitated meetings between wealthy Clinton Foundation donors and the Democratic party presidential candidate when Clinton was the head of the State Department.

    by JEROME HUDSON22 Aug 2016, 1:34 PM PDT284

    State Dept Spox Claims Hillary Aide Huma Abedin Was ‘Fully Vetted’
    Monday during the State Department’s daily briefing, Fox News reporter James Rosen pressed spokesman Mark Toner on reports that Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s long time top aide Huma Abedin once worked at a radical Muslim publication that blamed the

    by PAM KEY22 Aug 2016, 1:31 PM PDT764

    NYPost: Huma Abedin Denies Active Role as Editor of Radical Muslim Journal
    Paul Sperry writes in the New York Post on the statement from Hillary Clinton’s campaign regarding the work her close aide Huma Abedin did as an editor of a radical Muslim journal of which Abedin’s mother is the editor-in-chief.

    by BREITBART NEWS22 Aug 2016, 8:53 AM PDT502

    Hillary Clinton’s Top Aide Huma Abedin Published Articles that Blamed USA for 911, Blamed Women For Violence
    The Daily Mail and the New York Post continue to build on the damning case against Hillary Clinton’s top aide Huma Abedin that the mainstream media continues to ignore.

    by LEE STRANAHAN21 Aug 2016, 8:32 PM PDT1324

    Sperry: Huma Abedin Worked at Radical Muslim Journal for Decade
    Author Paul Sperry dives into the Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, where Huma Abedin worked as an editor for ten years.

    by BREITBART NEWS21 Aug 2016, 12:03 PM PDT906

    State Department Finds No Evidence Clinton, or Top Aides, Completed Mandatory Ethics Training
    The State Department was unable to find any records showing that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton completed ethics training courses, as required by federal law.

    by JOHN HAYWARD19 Aug 2016, 8:02 AM PDT42

  139. 139.

    schrodinger's cat

    @Adam L Silverman: What about Islam on the subcontinent? I am not a historian and these areare just my stray observations. Its seems to be of different, more tolerant variety than Arab one. Most Muslim women in India don’t cover up unless they are going to pray. Persian was the language of the Mughal court, not Arabic. Plus there are a fair number of Shia’ in the west and south of India. Dargahs (tombs) of Sufi saints are frequented by people from all religions.

  141. 141.

    hovercraft

    @different-church-lady:
    Andrea Mitchell asked Jennifer Granholm to explain Weiners thinking in trying to make a comeback in 2013, Granholm pushed back saying that it was a personal matter not related to the campaign, and Mitchell replied that actually it does reflect on the campaign, it raises the issue of judgement. I guess campaigns now control marital matters as well as what spouses of staffers get to do. Who knew?

  142. 142.

    Davis X. Machina

    Remind me again — it was way back in 2012 — were we supposed to primary Obama with Grayson or Weiner?

  143. 143.

    hovercraft

    @Adam L Silverman:
    What’s that, did you mean Wasabi? The fact that most Americans can barely wrap their heads around Suni and Shia, expecting them to grasp Wahhabism and the Salafists is expecting too much.

  144. 144.

    D58826

    According to the WSJ

    The Frozen Concentrated Orange-Juice Market Has Virtually Disappeared

    Should we blame that on Obama being a foreigner and a Mooooslim or Hillary and her bad judgement about Huma?

  145. 145.

    germy

    from the New York Times:

    The Post did not identify the woman but described her as a “self-avowed supporter of Donald Trump and the National Rifle Association who’s used Twitter to bash both President Obama and Clinton.”

    Weiner, asked by The Post for comment, “admitted he and the woman ‘have been friends for some time,’” according to the article.

    Ratfucking 101

    (although this particular rat was begging for a fucking)

  148. 148.

    Spider-Dan

    @Brent: The public reposting of voluntarily-given private, explicit pictures is the literal definition of “revenge porn.” Why is Weiner’s situation any different from a disgruntled ex posting nude selfies that his former girlfriend sent him?

  157. 157.

    Adam L Silverman

    @schrodinger’s cat: It tends to be different. Of course you eventually get the development of Deobandism and then the Saudi push to drive Afghan and Pakistani Islam towards tawheed.

  160. 160.

    Brachiator

    Been busy, so I thought this stuff about Weiner was an old news story. Didn’t realize he was popping out again.

    He gave an interview to some local California reporters during the Democratic Convention. He was funny, and sharp about the political situation. But there was also a whiff of desperation, and something, some lack of self-awareness. He hinted at running for public office again.

    Too bad he cannot avoid personal and political self-destruction.

    Didn’t see the documentary, but heard an interview with the filmmakers, who knew Weiner and had worked with him on one of his political campaigns. They seemed reluctant to acknowledge Weiner’s obvious stupid self-destructive streak, since another scandal was emerging even as they were working on the film.

  161. 161.

    Ella in New Mexico

    @Adam L Silverman: right on time:

    Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said in a statement that he thinks Abedin is “making a very wise decision.”

    “I know Anthony Weiner well, and she will be far better off without him,” Trump said.

    “I only worry for the country in that Hillary Clinton was careless and negligent in allowing Weiner to have such close proximity to highly classified information,” he continued. “Who knows what he learned and who he told? It’s just another example of Hillary Clinton’s bad judgment. It is possible that our country and its security have been greatlyo compromised by this.”

  162. 162.

    schrodinger's cat

    @Adam L Silverman: I know that Deoband is in Uttar Pradesh. I am not a scholar of Islam but the Islam I have seen practiced in India is of a much more joyful and colorful variety than espoused Taliban, who follow the Deoband version.

    Ironically the name Deoband sounds very Hindu. Its a town in UP.

  165. 165.

    Brachiator

    @schrodinger’s cat:

    I am not a scholar of Islam but the Islam I have seen practiced in India is of a much more joyful and colorful variety than espoused Taliban, who follow the Deoband version.

    The Taliban and other Islamic extremists have mentioned the Mughal ruler Aurangzeb as an inspiration, because of his religious intolerance.

  168. 168.

    Ruckus

    @schrodinger’s cat:
    Seems like history is full of examples of assholes being assholes no matter their religious or political leanings. Those are just the vehicles they use for their fun and seemingly to make it easier to drag victims into their grasp.

  169. 169.

    schrodinger's cat

    @Ruckus: Yep but he overreached and was defeated and the Mughal Empire crumbled after his death. A cursory look at Indian history shows you that the most successful rulers had a live and let live attitude towards religion. Religious zealotry usually preceded the downfall or an end of a dynasty.

  170. 170.

    Lyrebird

    @Frankensteinbeck: Thanks for saying this. I remember during the previous (hopefully correct wording) Clinton adminstration, when on the one hand, congressional Republicans were all “oh the internet is filthy! the horror!”, then they were all “we must publish all these anatomical details about bodily fluids on blue dresses for all to read”, using everyone’s names… I thought it was a horrible way to treat M.L. as someone who supposedly has some rights to privacy.

    Not an exact analog to this situation, obviously.

    Just a mess!

  171. 171.

    Lyrebird

    @Ruckus: Shining the light for us once again, Sir Ruckus!

    BTW I really liked your comments a day or two ago about that, and took them seriously, even though it may not seem like it when I tell you that I have actually once killed a cockroach (“water bug” variety… noisy) without turning the light on.

  172. 172.

    KlareCole

    @Felanius Kootea: One wonders if he researched the people he flashed to very well. I mean, what public liberal would choose to overexposed themselves to a Trump supporter? But then, Monica’s story managed to quickly find its way to a right wing editor. Wiener and his fellow pitiful fools don’t deserve a lot of forgiveness airtime, except by a good therapist. But it does seem like there should be a course for political types, something like ‘How to keep your privates out of the hands of the opposition and the media. They are stalking you, Stupid!’

  173. 173.

    Ruckus

    @schrodinger’s cat:
    Not just in India. Some of the religions haven’t reached their zenith yet or were overrun by the common folk and the founders lost power. The political assholes usually get destroyed in war, just because they are greedy and enough is never enough.

  174. 174.

    Ruckus

    @Lyrebird:
    Thanks.
    Whatever turns you on. Lights on, lights off, cockroach still dead. BTW it’s not so much that you need the light, just that with the lights on it’s easier to see the extent of the problem. Usually much to one’s dismay.

  175. 175.

    Sondra

    @Amir Khalid: It’s probably too late in the evening for a reply but it’s all such a shame that I thought I’d add my 2 cents. I actually heard him speak once at a dinner event and he was wonderful. His was the kind of passionate speech you want to hear a good Liberal Democrat give. I had no idea at the time that he had a reputation for not getting along with the other members of the party and it was long before the first scandal broke.

    I actually agree with almost all of you. It is a very creepy kind of compulsion that he has. It’s not really an addiction. It is certainly self-destructive behavior that is different than the behavior of men who have multiply affairs.

    When I watched how Hillary and Bill looked at each other during the convention: especially on the last night when they had that final embrace before the balloons came down, I could see why these two have been together for something like 48 years. They really like and admire each other.

    For as long as women have been married to powerful politicians, they have had to live with the knowledge that infidelity often is part of the bargain they make. They either accept it or they don’t, but when they do it is almost always because there is a very deep connection that has much more to do with admiration and maybe even friendship than anything else.

    Hillary and she can empathize with each other but their situations are very different.

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