Washington, DC — The lawyer for an aide to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has accused Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley of damaging her reputation through what the attorney called “unfounded allegations” about the aide’s time at the State Department.
Miguel Rodriguez, the attorney for Clinton adviser Huma Abedin, sent a letter to the State Department late last week responding to questions by Grassley, in which the Senator questioned whether Abedin, had been overpaid during her maternity leave and vacation while working at the State Department, and whether there had been a conflict of interest when she supposedly aided one of her part-time employers through her work at the State Department.
Senator Grassley had suggested that there were emails showing that one of Abedin’s part-time employers had asked her to persuade Mrs. Clinton to secure a White House appointment for a client of Abedin’s part-time employer.
The Senator also recently disclosed that the State Department’s Inspector General had discovered that Abedin had been paid nearly $10,000 in excess pay during her maternity leave.
Rodriguez says his client is deeply concerned that Grassley’s letter has unfairly tarnished Abedin’s reputation by making unsubstantiated allegations that, he asserts, flow from misinformation with which Grassley has been provided.
Senator Grassley serves on the Senate Finance Committee, and has been aggressively questioning Abedin’s status as a special government employee since it was revealed in 2013.
