It is a sad state of affairs for American politics that the sexual infidelities of men connected to Hillary Clinton have been the catalyst for some of her biggest woes.
Yet the persistent Clinton controversies, including Friday's latest "October surprise" by the FBI, illuminate the consequences of Bill and Hillary's chosen network of fierce loyalists.
The power couple's inner circle and unique modus operandi have repeatedly put them under the legal and media microscope and made them polarising figures.
A FBI probe into lewd text messages disgraced Democratic former politician Anthony Weiner sent to a 15-year old girl inadvertently led the FBI to reconsider its idle investigation into Clinton's use of a private email server when she was secretary of state.
Weiner is the estranged husband of Huma Abedin, one of Clinton's closest advisers since she began working for the then first lady in 1996.
The partnership strengthened as Clinton rose to senator, secretary of state and presidential contender, to the point that 69-year old Clinton is said to consider Abedin, 40, almost like a second daughter.
Clinton has described Abedin as a "savvy, indefatigable, and gracious young woman".
Weiner was a political rising star and a congressman for Clinton's home state of New York before he was forced to quit Congress in 2011.
Former president Bill Clinton was the master of ceremonies at the Weiner-Abedin wedding in 2008.
Whereas Bill's well-publicised philandering was more conventional, Weiner was repeatedly caught exchanging sexually-charged messages and pictures of with women, including a photo of his crotch that appeared on Twitter.
It would make Frank Underwood, the Machiavellian president played by Kevin Spacey in House of Cards, blush.
Just like a humiliated Hillary stood by Bill through his extramarital affairs, Abedin remained loyal to Weiner despite illicit sexual activity with other women that was revealed very publicly at least three times over the years.
That was until August when Clinton was in the thick of her presidential campaign and Weiner was exposed yet again, including for a photo he sent to a woman of him lying in bed next to his and Abedin's four-year old son.
Abedin, vice-chair of Clinton's presidential campaign, swiftly announced she was leaving him.
But it was too late. Law enforcement officials investigating a laptop computer that Weiner shared with Abedin later found thousands of new emails "pertinent" to the lapsed investigation into whether Clinton and her aides mishandled classified information.
Regardless of the eventual result of the FBI's latest probe, it has already damaged Clinton's campaign and deflected from Donald Trump's regular controversies and his unfitness to govern.
It is the second time in a week a fierce Clinton loyalist has landed the Democratic candidate in controversy.
WikiLeaks released an embarrassing memo this week from Bill Clinton confidant, Doug Band.
The former White House aide, Clinton Foundation executive and corporate adviser outlined how he ran "Bill Clinton Inc".
Band secured tens of millions of dollars in speaking fees for the ex-president and convinced the same paying companies to donate to the Clinton Foundation.
Foreign governments, including from the Middle East, also made contributions to the charity when Hillary was America's top diplomat.
Many of the donating firms were clients of Band's Teneo Consulting and some were engaging with the US State Department and broader US government on legal and regulatory matters when Clinton was secretary of state.
Intriguingly, at one point Abedin was a "special government employee" at Clinton's state department at the same time she worked for Band's New York corporate advisory firm, Teneo.
There is no evidence of corruption or illegal activity.
But the murky intersection of the Clintons' government, private and philanthropy work illustrate why Americans do not trust the Clintons or their inner circle. They skate close to the ice. Perception is everything in politics, especially in an election.
The Clinton network of favoured confidants keeps landing Clinton in controversy.
Perhaps Clinton should be mindful of the company she keeps if she wants to regain trust.
