Baldwin said Abedin was like a "surrogate daughter" to Clinton and that the two are exceptionally close. She then asked CNN correspondent Dana Bash whether she knew why Abedin has not been present on the campaign plane.
"We don’t know exactly why, except I don’t think it would be a bridge too far to have informed speculation that she has now become such a huge part of the story because the only reason why we’re discussing this [email scandal] is because of a computer that her estranged husband allegedly had her emails on it," Bash said.
"So that is no question [a] big part of the reason. Maybe she’s also dealing with her lawyers. We’re just not sure," Bash continued
Bash said that she agreed with Baldwin’s characterization of Abedin as Clinton’s "second daughter."
"I don’t think you can overstate how close these two are and second daughter is just sort of one aspect. I think she’s‐her official role is Hillary Clinton’s right-hand woman, but it’s not just hand: it’s arm, it’s brain, it’s everything," Bash said. "She is the person who thinks what Hillary Clinton is going to think before she thinks it and makes things happen for her, and that’s how close they are and have been for years and years and years."
Abedin was pushed back into the public spotlight on Friday when FBI Director James Comey informed Congress that the bureau had discovered new emails related to Clinton’s previous investigation into her email use as secretary of state. Federal and local law enforcement had been investigating Abedin’s estranged husband and former Congressman Anthony Weiner (D., N.Y.) when they discovered pertinent emails on Weiner’s devices, some of which Abedin used as well, the Washington Free Beacon previously reported.
Federal and local law enforcement officials have been investigating Anthony Weiner since last month over reports that he sent sexually explicit text messages and photos to a 15-year-old girl, which was first revealed by the Daily Mail.
News surfaced Friday afternoon that the FBI would revisit its investigation into Clinton’s email practices.
"In connection with an unrelated case, the FBI has learned of the existence of emails that appear to be pertinent to the investigation," Comey wrote in a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee. "I agreed that the FBI should take appropriate investigative steps designed to allow investigators to review these emails to determine whether they contain classified information, as well as to assess their importance to our investigation."