Clinton Aide Abedin Splits From Weiner After New Sexting Scandal

Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin has announced she is splitting from her husband, former New York congressman Anthony Weiner, following yet another sexting revelation.

"After long and painful consideration and work on my marriage, I have made the decision to separate from my husband," Ms Abedin, 40, said in a statement released by the Clinton presidential campaign.

"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."

The announcement follows a New York Post report on Sunday night that Mr Weiner, 51, had shared sexually explicit messages with another woman.

One of the photos appears to show a man with bulging underpants lying in bed, with a toddler apparently asleep next to him.

The woman is a 40-something divorcee who supports Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, reports the tabloid.

Mr Weiner, a Democrat, resigned from the House of Representatives in 2011 after mistakenly tweeting an explicit image of himself that was intended as a direct message.

A year later he sat down with Ms Abedin for a 2012 People magazine interview in which he said he had undergone therapy and was content as a stay-at-home father.

But in 2013 another scandal - in which it emerged he had been sexting under the pseudonym of Carlos Danger - derailed his bid to be elected New York City mayor.

The resulting implosion of his campaign was the subject of an award-winning documentary, Weiner, released this year.

Reacting to the latest scandal on Monday, Mr Trump said in a statement: "Huma is making a very wise decision.

"I know Anthony Weiner well, and she will be far better off without him."

He added: "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."

Ms Abedin and Mr Weiner wed in 2010 in a ceremony officiated by former President Bill Clinton.

They have a three-year-old son, Jordan Zain Weiner.

Ms Abedin has been one of Mrs Clinton's most trusted aides since she began working as a White House intern in 1996 for the then First Lady.

She recently told Vogue about how she juggled the demands of motherhood and a campaign job.

"I don't think I could do it if I didn't have the support system I have, if Anthony wasn't willing to be, essentially, a full-time dad," Ms Abedin told the magazine's August issue.