Anne Michaud - Why They Stay: Sex Scandals, Deals, and Hidden Agendas of Nine Political Wives ()

Table of Contents

Marriage is a mysterious thing and political unions are even more so. I n the engrossing and important W h y T hey St a y A nne M ich a ud peers into the heart of some of the most famously troubled political marriages of the past 0 years in an a t tempt to understand w h y accomplished women ranging from H illa r y Clinton to Silda Spitzer put up with men many others would h a ve quickly kicked to the curb. Her answers will no doubt i n fluence how we think about these scandals going fo r ward not to mention the ones still to come .

Hela i ne Olen, au t hor of Pound Foolish

Its a sto r y weve he a rd o f ten: Pro mi nent politici a ns sudde n ly f i nd t hemselves ensn a red i n h um iliat i n g ly public sex sc a ndals, but t he i r w ives decide to stay w i t h t hem. Wi t h a pro d i g ious a mo u nt of rese a rch a nd de f t sto ry tell i ng s k ill, An ne M ichaud goes beyond t he hea d l i nes a nd e x plores t he stories of bo t h spouses, on bo t h sides of t he Atl a ntic, reveal i ng t he pa i n, t he loyal t y , a nd t he calc u lations be hi nd t he w ives decisions. Eve r y political couple sho u ld read it .

B ob Keeler, au t hor a nd Pu li t zer Pr i z e - winni ng jo ur nalist

An ne M ichaud brea t hes life i nto hea d l i nes t hat I t hou g ht I k new so well w i t h f resh details about well- k no w n political spouses l i ke H ill ar y Cl i nton, Silda W all Spi t zer a nd H u ma Abe di n. Her t horou g h repo r t i ng helped cast t hem i nto a n ent i rely new li g ht a nd see how t he i r personal s tr u gg les refle c t t he i nte r nal s tr u gg les women have faced for cen tu ries .

C h rist i ne H au gh ne y , former NewYork Times sta f f repo r ter

|

I fo u nd it really i nterest i ng, metic u lously rese a rched, a nd well - doc u mented. Why They Stay doesnt reve r t to sensationalism but really goes to t he question of why t hey stay i n t he m a rriage .

Stephen F . Me d ici, au t hor of The Girls in Pleated Skirts

W hy Th e y S t ay

S e x S ca n d al s , D e al s , a nd
H i d de n Agendas
o f Ni n e P oli ti ca l Wi v e s

A n n e Mi c h a u d

O g unq u it -N Y Pre ss

Copyri g ht 207 by An ne M ichaud. A ll ri g hts rese r ved. No p ar t of th is book may be reproduced or t r a ns m i t ted i n a ny form or by a ny me a ns, ele ct ro n ic or mech an ical, i nclud i ng photocopy i ng, recor di ng, or by a ny in formation storage a nd re t rieval syste m , w i t hout per m ission i n w rit i ng f rom t he publishe r .

Libr ar y of Con g ress Con t rol N u mber 2094885

W hy T hey Stay: S ex S c a ndals, Deals, a nd H idden Agendas of N i ne Political Wives / An ne M ichaud

I SBN 13: 97 -0 -99663 -0 -3

I SB N -1 : -99663 -0 - 8

Pr i nted i n t he U n ited States of A merica

F i rst Ed ition, J a nu ar y 207

Ed itor: B o nn ie Bri t t

Cover desi g ner: J a net M ichaud

Cover photo g rapher: C .J. B ur ton

Desi g ner / T y po g rapher: B o nn ie Bri t t

P ublisher: O gu nq u it- N Y Press

P .O. B ox 1520, H u nt i n g ton N Y -274 web: ww w . an ne m ichaud.com

For i nq ui ries, conta c t

For D an iel, Isabelle, a nd Ch a rlo t te for believ i ng.

For a ye a r a f ter a se x t i ng sc a ndal forced hi m to resi g n f rom Con g ress i n J u ne 201, A n t hony W e i ner lived q u ietly outside t he public spotli g ht. It was a n i ntensely solit ar y period for t he Broo k l y n son who had had t he chu t zp a h to become t he yo u ngest New Y ork Ci t y co u ncil member i n h isto r y . Just seven ye a rs later, at age 34, he had risen to wi n a seat i n Con g ress. I mpudent a nd confrontational, Weiner was something of a loud political lone wolf before pulling off the collaboration of a lifetime: marrying into American Democratic royalty. Against all odds, this Jewish outer-borou g h shnuk had co ur ted a g l a morous a nd sophisticated Musl i m wom ana nd s u rrogate second dau g hter to Bill a nd H ill ar y Cl i nto n for several ye a rs before she consented to m a r r y hi m. Bill Cl i nton o f ficiated at t he J u ly 200 wed di ng of H u ma Abe di n a nd A n t hony W e i ne r .

But t hat was t hen. Private life post - Con g ress was prov i ng s tu lti f y i ng for t he e xh ibitio n ist e x - Con g ress member who had sent a photo of h is pe n is i n g ray co t ton briefs to 5,0 T w i t ter followers. S o he a nd H u ma were plo t t i ng h is re tur n to powe r .

I n J u ne 201, t he couple posed for People magaz i ne w i t h t he i r -mon t h - old son, Jord a n. H u ma told t he People i nte r viewer t hat A n t hony was do i ng t he la u n dr y a nd o t her hous e -husb a n d ly tasks. He cla i med to have become a ve r y d i f ferent perso n s i nce t he b irt h of t he i r c h ild, a nd said he was tr y i ng to be t he best dad a nd husb a nd [h e ] c a n be .

T he i nte r view was published t he follo wi ng mon t h. At t he s a me t i me, H u ma was cajol i ng A n t hony to sit for a no t her i nte r view th is one bi g ger a nd more serious, w h ich was to be t he f i nal word on t he se x t i ng mess t hat had ended h is con g ressional c a ree r . She w a nted to cle a r t he a i r, put t hat be hi nd t he m , a nd get back on t rack tow a rd t he i r d re a med - of life i n politics. M ayor of New Y ork Ci t y had always seemed to be a good fit for her brash a nd brilli a nt husb a nd.

T hat ne x t spring, on April 4, 23, Huma f i nagled a rambling, confessional prof i le on the cover of The NewYork TimesMagazine. A more public, more earnest venue the couple could not h a ve aspired to. W einer and Abedin h a ve realized, it seems, that the only w a y out is through , wrote Jonathan V an Mete r . A nthony summed up the troubles that had ended his seven terms in Congress as one fateful T weet .

T he magaz i ne prof i le ended w i t h A n t hony say i ng t hat H u ma w a nted hi m to ru n for New Y ork Ci t y mayor, a position he had long covete da nd sho r tly a f te r w a rd, he an no u nced h is c a n d ida c y . He im me d iately shot to t he top of t he field over fo u r solid Democrats. He had t he n a me reco gn ition a nd t he moneymore t h a n $ 4 m illion, much of it f rom O rt hodox Jews i n h is Broo k l y n - Queens d is t ri c t who backed h is Zio n ist st a nce on Israel. A s t he basis of h is platfor m , he developed a 6-po i nt boo k let of poli c y in itiatives, Keys to t he Ci t y . Paid pollsters had ass u red hi m t hat New Y orkers were w ill i ng to g ive hi m a second ch a nce i n public o f fice. By J u ne 204, he was lea di ng i n t he polls a mong voters. A n t hony W e i ner was back.

But so was a pseudon y mous alter ego, C a rlos D a nge r . B e t ween si t t i ng for t he People photo g rapher i n J u ne 2012 a nd t he publication of t he co z y f am ily photos t he follo wi ng mon t h, A n t hony had reached out to a new se x t p art ne r . T he relations h ip escalated q u ic k l y . S oon, t he t wo were hav i ng phone sex as m a ny as five t i mes a da y , a nd A n t honyC a rlo s had proposed buy i ng a condo i n C h icagos tony S ou t h L oop nei g hborhood where t hey co u ld meet.

T here is some evidence t hat H u ma k new t hat her husb a nd cont i nued h is se x t i ng comp u lsion, even a f ter q u itt i ng Con g ress i n d is g race. Accor di ng to f riends a nd f am ily who spoke to t he