Longtime Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin is separating from her husband, former congressman Anthony Weiner, following Weiner’s latest sexting scandal.
“After long and painful consideration and work on my marriage, I have made the decision to separate from my husband,” Abedin said Monday 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.”
NBC’s Monica Alba shared the statement on Twitter.
Just in: Statement from Huma Abedin announcing separation from Anthony Weiner pic.twitter.com/akyIsV8dcf
— Monica Alba (@albamonica) August 29, 2016
The news comes after the New York Post published a cover story about Weiner reportedly sexting with a woman for more than a year. One of the photos he sent her was a photo of his crotch, with his young son sleeping next to him. The photograph was allegedly taken in July 2015 and the Post reports Weiner was still sending messages to this woman as recently as the beginning of this month.
After the Post story was published, Weiner deleted his Twitter account. The New York Daily News reportedly dropped him as a columnist, according to The Daily Beast. CNN reported that NY1 has placed Weiner, a contributor and guest, on “indefinite leave.”
Donald Trump released a statement saying, “Huma is making a very wise decision. I know Anthony Weiner well, and she will be far better off without him.” He then brought Clinton into it.
“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,” said Trump. “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.”
Weiner resigned from Congress in 2011 following his first sexting scandal. He attempted to make a comeback with his campaign for New York City mayor, but a second sexting scandal broke in 2013. The 2013 controversy was documented in the film Weiner, which premiered this year.
