Just hours after disgraced former congressman Anthony Weiner pleaded guilty to sexting with a minor, his wife filed for divorce in Manhattan Supreme Court.
Huma Abedin, a top Hillary Clinton aide during the 2016 presidential election, filed the papers under “Anonymous vs. Anonymous,” reports the New York Post.
A source familiar with the matter later confirmed the filing with CNN.
Although she had originally filed for an uncontested divorce, she later amended the papers to read “contested.” According to the Post, this implies that Weiner decided not to sign the papers “at the last minute.”
Experts told the Post that the couple, who has been married for seven years, will likely face a long court battle, largely over visitation with their 5-year-old son, Jordan.
Weiner, 52, was wearing his gold wedding band in federal court as he tearily confessed to sending obscene material to a 15-year-old-girl on Friday.
“I have a sickness, but I do not have an excuse,” Weiner told the court.
As part of his plea deal, Weiner must register as a sex offender, forfeit his iPhone and passport, and seek ongoing mental health treatment.
Weiner’s guilty plea will also likely exempt him from unsupervised supervision with his son, Manhattan divorce attorney Suzanne Kimberly Bracker told the Post.
“He’s going to ruin his family financially — if it’s contested, it’s going to cost over $100,000, easily,” she said.
It’s been a turbulent few years for Abedin and Weiner. In 2011, a year into marriage, Abedin stood by her husband after he shared an underwear selfie on Twitter.
Two years later, Weiner dashed his mayoral bid after reports emerged of his sexting with multiple women.
According to the Post, Abedin likely waited to file for divorce so she could claim spousal protection and avoid testifying in the sexting case.
