But she has been thrust into the spotlight for another attribute – as a wronged political wife.
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Abedin, a top aide to Clinton, announced Monday that she was separating from Weiner after he was once again caught sending sexually explicit pictures to women. Abedin’s friend said the separation from Weiner had been brewing for some time.
Weiner resigned from Congress in 2011 after it came to light that he had tweeted explicit photos of himself to a woman while his wife was pregnant with the couple’s son.
Declaring the marriage over, Abedin said in a statement that she had chose to separate from Weiner “after long and painful consideration and work on my marriage”. The couple have a young son, Jordan.
Former Congressman Anthony Weiner “appeared to have sent a photo of himself in his underpants with his toddler son nearby”, the BBC says. Abedin and Weiner have been married for six years and have a 4-year-old son.
Weiner the documentary, which is out on DVD through Madman Films on September 7, offers extraordinary access inside the politician’s doomed 2013 campaign to become the mayor of NY. “After long and painful consideration and work on my marriage, I have made the decision to separate from my husband”, said Abedin in a statement yesterday (Monday).
But the Clinton campaign has been unable to easily swat away some of the other charges that swirl around Abedin.
The announcement also came as Mr Weiner’s behaviour became a source of tension in the Clinton campaign and was seized on by her opponent, Donald Trump.
Just hours after the edition hit the newsstand, about 11am local time, Ms Abedin released a statement saying she would be ending their marriage. The allegations stem from Abedin’s upbringing in Saudi Arabia and a staid academic journal her mother publishes that Islamic scholars say is decidedly not radical.
Abedin discovered the new photos only after Weiner was questioned about them by the New York Post. Abedin worked on Clinton’s first, unsuccessful White House bid in 2008 and served as her deputy chief of staff at the US State Department. Maybe the new dark green suit.
Abedin’s behind-the-scenes role has often drawn unwanted attention. More recently, Abedin’s name has surfaced in emails disclosed as part of Clinton’s private email server controversy.
Stylish and poised, Abedin carries enough clout within Clinton circles to headline high-profile fundraisers, as she did in 2015 alongside Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour in Paris, raising money from Americans living overseas.
Crown Prince Salman had made a $32 million commitment to the Clinton Global Initiative, a program run by the foundation.
Abedin, 40 and now vice chairwoman of the Clinton Campaign, married Weiner in 2010.
Mr Trump also said the episode was an issue of national security.
“It’s just another example of Hillary Clinton’s bad judgment, ” he continued.
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But as NBC News reported on Monday, the Republican nominee, who is now using Weiner’s marital troubles because he thinks it will benefit his candidacy, has donated thousands of dollars to the Democrat’s past political campaigns dating back to 1997.
