Former Hillary Clinton aide claims she was sexually assaulted by a US senator

A former close aide to Hillary Clinton has claimed in her new memoir that she was sexually assaulted by a US senator, it was reported on Tuesday.

Huma Abedin said the politician, who she has not named, assaulted her on a sofa in the mid-2000s after he invited her to his house, according to the Guardian.

Ms Abedin said she escaped after the senator attempted to kiss her.

The allegation is detailed in her forthcoming book, Both/And: A Life in Many Worlds.

The 45-year-old was a trusted aide to Mrs Clinton and was once described by the former Secretary of State as her "second daughter".

Ms Abedin said the assault occurred while she was working for Mrs Clinton between 2001 and 2009. She did not reveal the identity of the senator, his party, if he is still in Congress, and which state he represented.

Ms Abedin claimed that after a Washington dinner she left with the politician and when they stopped in front of his home he invited her inside for coffee, which she accepted.

She writes: “Once inside, he told me to make myself comfortable on the couch.

“Then, in an instant, it all changed. He plopped down to my right, put his left arm around my shoulder, and kissed me, pushing his tongue into my mouth, pressing me back on the sofa.

“I was so utterly shocked, I pushed him away. All I wanted was for the last 10 seconds to be erased.”

Ms Abedin said the senator seemed surprised but apologised and said he had “misread” her.

She then writes that she kept away from the senator “for a few days” but bumped into him on Capitol Hill and nodding when he asked if they were still friends. Mrs Clinton then joined them, Ms Abedin said, “as if she knew I needed rescuing even though I’d told her nothing about that night”.

Ms Abedin said that she stayed friendly with the senator and soon “buried the incident”.

However, Ms Abedin said that her memory of the incident was reawakened in 2018 when allegations surfaced against the Supreme Court justice Brett Kavanaugh, whom Donald Trump had nominated to the court.

Christine Blasey Ford accused Mr Kavanaugh of sexual assault at a party, a claim Mr Kavanaugh denied.

Ms Abedin said her memory was triggered when she read about Dr Ford “being accused of ‘conveniently’ remembering” her alleged assault.