Huma Abedin Had an Incredibly Sweet Deal at the State Department

Huma Abedin remained Hillary Clinton's deputy chief of staff when she came back from maternity leave in June 2012, even though she worked part-time from her home in New York and was allowed to start a side gig as a consultant. Abedin was paid $135,000 by the State Department  in 2012 as a "special government employee," Politico reports. As The New York Times' Raymond Hernandez explains, Abedin was not legally obligated to declare her income from consulting because she had become a part-time State Department worker, even though in official documents she continued to be described with her old title.

Abedin's work shows that being a part of the Clinton family circle has its benefits. In 2012, she was a consultant to the William Jefferson Clinton Foundation and worked for Teneo, a consulting firm founded by a former adviser to Bill Clinton which had clients including Coca-Cola and MF Global. Abedin was Hillary Clinton's aide as she moved into her version of private life -- which means a six-person "transition office" in headquartered in Washington. 

Abedin's husband Anthony Weiner is openly considering running for New York mayor in an attempt to comeback from his Twitter sex picture scandal. As part of his maybe-candidacy, Weiner released the couple's 2012 tax returns, which showed they made more than $490,000 in 2012. Weiner worked as a consultant, too. He did not say how much money Abedin made from consulting work. Weiner and Abedin were spotted sitting side by side while shooting what looked like a campaign ad in Brooklyn on Thursday. Curiously, the Clintons are reportedly not at all excited about Weiner's return to campaigning.