Huma Abedin separates from Anthony Weiner after latest sexting report

Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin announced Monday she is separating from husband and former Congressman Anthony Weiner, after a new report that he had sent explicit photos to a woman multiple times over the last 19 months.

"After long and painful consideration and work on my marriage, I have made the decision to separate from my husband," Abedin 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"

A New York Post report published late Sunday claimed Weiner sent pictures to the unidentified woman, and described his sexual fantasies and masturbation in messages to her, calling her "literally a fantasy chick."

One of the photos Weiner sent the woman showed his underwear-clad crotch as his son Jordan slept next to him in bed. 

Weiner, 51, took his Twitter account down Monday after admitting to the Post that he and the woman "have been friends for some time." He added that their conversations were "private ... and were always appropriate."

Weiner spent 12 years in the House of Representatives before resigning in June 2011 after posting an explicit image of himself on his Twitter account. At the time, he admitted that he had "exchanged messages and photos of an explicit nature with about six women" over the previous three years.

With Abedin's public support, Weiner entered the New York City mayoral race in 2013. However, his campaign collapsed when a second woman, Sydney Leathers, came forward to claim Weiner had sent her more explicit photos while using the alias "Carlos Danger." Weiner finished fifth in the Democratic primary with just five percent of the vote.