Clinton's inner circle exposed in final stretch of election

MIAMI (AP) — As Hillary Clinton presses for a return to the White House, so, too, does the Clinton inner circle — the family of aides and confidants that have at times strained the loyalty, patience and political judgment of the figures at its center.

The Democratic presidential nominee is in the middle of one such moment. A little more than a week from Election Day, her campaign has been rocked by a controversy sparked anew by the sexting exploits of her closest aide's estranged husband.

It is, on one level, the most surprising of October surprises — an almost unbelievable collision of the tabloid tale with the stranger-than-the-tabloids presidential election.

But for those who've long been wary of the company the Clintons keep, it was a reminder of the downside of both Bill and Hillary Clinton's famed loyalty — and a reluctance to distance themselves from drama bound to do them political harm.

The Clinton campaign declared Saturday it was firmly behind Huma Abedin, the longtime aide and Hillary Clinton confidante whose emails showed up on a computer seized by law enforcement officials investigating husband Anthony Weiner's online contact with a minor. The FBI decision to review the new emails, as part of its investigation into Clinton's private email server, breathed new life into Clinton's own email woes.