CNN Touts 'Incredibly Politically Sophisticated' Huma Abedin Learning From 'Mentor' Hillary Clinton

July 24th, 2013 11:31 PM

On Tuesday and Wednesday, CNN followed NBC's narrative of connecting Huma Abedin to her "mentor" Hillary Clinton in dealing with husbands' sex scandals.

CNN repeatedly made the connection in a positive light, touting Abedin as "incredibly politically sophisticated," "intelligent," and "discerning" from her years working for Clinton. CNN insisted that Abedin would use the Clinton "playbook" to overcome her husband's scandal. [Video below the break. Audio here.]

"[S]he's also incredibly politically sophisticated. Not only did she learn on the knee of Hillary Clinton, the most famous kind of stand-by-her-man political wife, she also was the go-to person for anyone who wanted to get to Hillary Clinton," touted CNN correspondent Dana Bash on Tuesday's Anderson Cooper 360.

"This – she is such an intelligent woman, and she clearly has taken notes from Hillary Clinton, her long-time employer and mentor," said CNN contributor John Avlon. "Huma's playing using the Hillary Clinton playbook," he insisted before criticizing Abedin for going too far.

Political contributor Margaret Hoover argued that Abedin "Huma-nized" her husband Anthony Weiner by speaking at his Tuesday press conference, and "saved his campaign."

"But think of the person she works for, Hillary Clinton. And remember Hillary Clinton's famous sort of 60 Minutes conversation, Tammy Wynette, stand by your man. This was very reminiscent of that," noted political analyst Gloria Borger on Tuesday's The Situation Room.

"The irony not lost on a lot of people that she saw a front row seat to what went on with the Clintons. Now, she's experiencing her own version of it, and again, this is the second time around now," said New Day co-host Michaela Pereira on Wednesday.