Huma Abedin, former Hillary Clinton staffer, claims US Senator sexually assaulted her

A former senior Hillary Clinton staffer Huma Abedin has claimed that a US senator sexually assaulted her in an upcoming memoir.

Abedin, who grew up in Saudi Arabia and served in positions including vice chair for Clinton's presidential campaign in 2016, did not identify the politician or offer any hints, such as party affiliation, about who the lawmaker may be.

She said claims made by academic Christine Blasey Ford about Brett Kavanaugh, a US Supreme Court judge, which made headlines in 2018, brought the situation back up after she'd "buried" it long ago, according to The Guardian, which has access to the 45-year-old's forthcoming book, "Both/And: A Life in Many Worlds".

Abedin was a staffer under then-Senator Hillary Clinton from 2001 to 2009.

Abedin said the incident occurred when she was at an event without Hillary, who later became a top-level Obama official, but with "a few senators and their aides".

After departing with one lawmaker, she said she was asked inside his building to drink coffee.

She asserts she was then invited to sit on the sofa, alleging that is where the Senator assaulted her, The Guardian reported.

"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," she claims.

"I was utterly shocked, I pushed him away. All I wanted was for the last 10 seconds to be erased," Abedin's book reportedly reads.

She says the politician appeared shocked and apologised.

The lawmaker said he had "misread" Abedin "all this time", the then-Clinton aide maintains.

Only 6 days until #BothAndMemoir is published! Have you pre-ordered your copy yet? (I have a few sitting around) https://t.co/scKbZkAPpI pic.twitter.com/Kecb40M9D7

— Huma Abedin (@HumaAbedin) October 27, 2021

He then inquired as to whether Abedin wished to remain.

In reply, Abedin said she "said something only the twentysomething version of me would have come up with - 'I am so sorry' - and walked out, trying to appear as nonchalant as possible".

Coming across her alleged assaulter again days later at Capitol Hill - where the US Congress is located - she said she nodded after the lawmaker and inquired if she remained his friend.

According to Abedin, Hillary Clinton subsequently approached "as if she knew I needed rescuing even though I'd told her nothing about that night".