Huma Abedin, Hillary Clinton's long-time
confidante, is separating from Anthony
Weiner, her former-congressman
husband, following his latest sexting scandal.
Explicit photographs Mr Weiner reportedly
exchanged with another woman emerged on
Sunday. In one he appears to have posed in
his underwear alongside his and Abedin's
four-year-old son.
Ms Abedin remained with Mr Weiner
following two other high-profile scandals,
one which led to his resignation from
Congress in 2011 and another which came
during his ill-fated run for mayor of New
York City in 2013.
Ms Abedin, who is a constant presence by
Mrs Clinton's side on the campaign trail,
announced on Monday that she was leaving
Mr Weiner.
Huma Abedin (R) speaks with Hillary Clinton duringthe 2008 Democratic primary election campaign
CREDIT: CHARLES DHARAPAK/AP
"After long and painful consideration and
work on my marriage, I have made the
decision to separate from my husband," she
said in a statement. "Anthony and I remain
devoted to doing what is best for our son,
who is the light of our life. During this
difficult time, I ask for respect for our
privacy.”
Republican presidential nominee Donald
Trump quickly weighed in on the news.
Donald Trump
“Huma is making a very wise decision. I
know Anthony Weiner well, and she will be
far better off without him," he said in a
statement, according to the New York Times.
“I only worry for the country in that Hillary
Clinton was careless and negligent in
allowing Weiner to have such close
proximity to highly classified information,”
he added.
“Who knows what he learned and who he
told? It’s just another example of Hillary
Clinton’s bad judgment. It is possible that
our country and its security have been
greatly compromised by this.”
Mr Trump, who has been divorced twice
himself, has commented on Ms Abedin's
relationship with Mr Weiner in the past.
Ms Abedin remained with Mr Weiner following two
other high-profile scandals
He speculated last year that classified
information Ms Abedin had access to as a
result of her work for Mrs Clinton would be
jeopardised because of her marriage to "one
of the great sleezebags of our time".
"So now - think of it - Huma is getting
classified secrets. She is married to Anthony
Weiner, who is a perv," he said during a
campaign event in Massachusetts. “Now
these are confidential documents and guess
what happens to Anthony Weiner. A month
ago he went to work for a public relations
firm. ”
"So she's married to Anthony Weiner. Do you
think there is even a 5 per cent chance she is
not telling Anthony Weiner - now of a public
relations firm - what the hell is coming
across?"
He also advised Ms Abedin to leave Mr
Weiner in posts to Twitter before he entered
politics.
Ms Abedin, 40, met Mrs Clinton while
serving as a White House intern in 1996.
She was an aide and adviser to Mrs Clinton
during her time in the US senate, and her
deputy chief of staff at the state department.
She is expected to remain in Mrs Clinton's
inner circle should the former secretary of
state return to the White House.