Washington (CNN) Huma Abedin has largely remained in the background during her decades-long work for Hillary Clinton as her right-hand woman at the White House, Senate, State Department and private life.

But Abedin is in the spotlight in the final days of Clinton's campaign.

Newly discovered emails that FBI Director James Comey told lawmakers Friday could be pertinent to the now-closed investigation into Clinton's private email server were sent or received by Abedin, according to a law enforcement official.

The new emails are part of an investigation into former congressman Anthony Weiner, according to top law enforcement sources. Abedin announced her separation from Weiner this summer.

The FBI and the New York Police Department have opened preliminary investigations of allegations that Weiner exchanged sexually explicit text messages with a purportedly underage girl.

Abedin, 41, is one of Clinton's longest-serving aides. She was Clinton's deputy chief of staff at the State Department and is currently the vice chairwoman of Clinton's presidential campaign.

Freedom of Information Act requests from a conservative organization have made many of Clinton's staff's emails sent during her State Department tenure public, and Abedin was involved in many of the exchanges that have drawn scrutiny.

Photos: Top 10 political comebacks Photos: Top 10 political comebacks David Vitter – Sen. David Vitter admitted his guilt in the D.C. Madam scandal in 2007. His phone number had been published in 2009 in a list of phone records from a prostitution ring Deborah Jeane Palfrey, also known as the "D.C. Madam." Three years later he was reelected to the Senate. Hide Caption 1 of 10 Photos: Top 10 political comebacks Anthony Weiner – Former Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-New York, resigned from Congress in 2011 after being embroiled for weeks in a sex scandal linked to his lewd online exchanges with women. Weiner announced in May that he was running for mayor of New York City, saying in a video announcing his campaign, "I hope I get a second chance to work for you." Weiner's comeback bid suffered a potential setback Tuesday, July 23, when he acknowledged more sexually tinged exchanges with an unnamed woman. "What I did was wrong," Weiner said in a statement about the newly emerged communications. Hide Caption 2 of 10 Photos: Top 10 political comebacks Eliot Spitzer – Former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who resigned in 2008 after it was revealed that he had spent thousands of dollars on prostitutes, says he plans to run for New York City's comptroller. "I accepted responsibly for what I did," Spitzer said. "I spent five years of working, doing useful things, and I hope the public will offer me an opportunity." Despite taking knocks from the press, the voters and, in some cases, the law, other politicians have pursued redemption in their public image or, in some cases, a return to office. Hide Caption 3 of 10 Photos: Top 10 political comebacks Mark Sanford – Former Gov. Mark Sanford endured heavy criticism and being the butt of jokes until his term ended after he admitted in 2009 that his six-day hiking trip on the Appalachian Trail was actually a cover for a trip to Argentina to visit his mistress. In May, Sanford won election against Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch for an open seat in the U.S. House, despite being heavily outspent by Democrats and without the backing of national Republicans. Hide Caption 4 of 10 Photos: Top 10 political comebacks Bill Clinton – Bill Clinton had a scandalous presidency, most famously having an affair with an intern that prompted his impeachment. Since, he has become an important figure in worldwide humanitarian efforts and informal adviser to President Obama. Hide Caption 5 of 10 Photos: Top 10 political comebacks Newt Gingrich – Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich left his position in disgrace after the Clinton impeachment proceedings in 1998. It was also later revealed that he was having an affair with a Congressional staffer, now his current wife Callista. Gingrich had an unsuccessful bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012 and is now seen as an elder party statesman, regularly appearing in the media on conservative issues. Hide Caption 6 of 10 Photos: Top 10 political comebacks Gary Hart – Before becoming an adviser for Homeland Security, retired Sen. Gary Hart was the front-runner of the 1988 Democratic primaries for president until images of him with a model surfaced, ending his campaign. Hide Caption 7 of 10 Photos: Top 10 political comebacks Dennis Kucinich – Former Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, has had many ups and downs in his political career, first becoming mayor of Cleveland, at the age of 31, and then losing a bid for reelection. Kucinich was later elected to the Senate and then the U.S. House but lost when he ran for president in 2004 and again in 2008. Hide Caption 8 of 10 Photos: Top 10 political comebacks Marion Barry – Marion Barry is sworn in as the mayor of Washington with his wife, Cora Masters Barry, at his side, in 1995. Four years earlier, he was forced from the mayor's office, and later imprisoned, for being caught on videotape smoking crack. Hide Caption 9 of 10 Photos: Top 10 political comebacks Richard Nixon – Richard Nixon resigned in disgrace in 1974 after the Washington Post broke the story on his role in the Watergate burglary. But before being elected president, Nixon was Dwight Eisenhower's vice president. He lost his first presidential election to John F. Kennedy in 1960, and then lost the governor's race in California in 1962. However, in 1968, he got the GOP nomination and defeated Hubert Humphrey in the general election to become president. Hide Caption 10 of 10

In one exchange when Clinton was secretary of state, then-Clinton Foundation executive Doug Band asked Abedin to facilitate a meeting between Clinton and the crown prince of Bahrain. In another, Band and Abedin emailed about job opportunities at the State Department for a person whose name was redacted.

Photos: Huma Abedin's life and career Huma Abedin, longtime aide to former U.S. Secretary of State and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, arrives to speak to the House Select Committee on Benghazi on Capitol Hill in Washington on Friday, October 16. Hide Caption 1 of 15 Photos: Huma Abedin's life and career Abedin watches as Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton speaks during the David N. Dinkins Leadership and Public Policy Forum at Columbia University on April 29 in New York City. Hide Caption 2 of 15 Photos: Huma Abedin's life and career Abedin (right) looks on during a news conference following Clinton's keynote speech at a Women's Empowerment Event at the United Nations on March 10. Hide Caption 3 of 15 Photos: Huma Abedin's life and career (Left to right) Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, their daughter Chelsea Clinton and Abedin leave the official memorial service for former South African President Nelson Mandela at FNB Stadium December 10, 2013 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Hide Caption 4 of 15 Photos: Huma Abedin's life and career Abedin stands with her husband, Anthony Weiner, during a news conference on July 23, 2013 as he addressed new allegations that he engaged in lewd online conversations with a woman after he resigned from Congress for similar previous incidents. Weiner was running for mayor of New York City at the time. Hide Caption 5 of 15 Photos: Huma Abedin's life and career In this photo illustration, Weiner (left) appears with Abedin in a YouTube video announcing he will enter the New York City mayoral race on May 22, 2013. Weiner resigned from Congress in 2011 after admitting to tweeting lewd photos of himself and engaging in inappropriate online relationships with other women. Hide Caption 6 of 15 Photos: Huma Abedin's life and career U.S. President Barack Obama acknowledges Abedin at an Iftar dinner celebrating Ramadan in the State Dining Room of the White House August 10, 2012 in Washington. Hide Caption 7 of 15 Photos: Huma Abedin's life and career Abedin talks with a guest during an Iftar dinner at the White House August 10, 2011. Hide Caption 8 of 15 Photos: Huma Abedin's life and career Clinton (right) and Abedin arrive for a NATO Foreign Minister family photo in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin April 14, 2011. Hide Caption 9 of 15 Photos: Huma Abedin's life and career Clinton (right) receives a note from Abedin as she testifies about the State Department's 2012 budget during a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing on March 10, 2011 in Washington. Hide Caption 10 of 15 Photos: Huma Abedin's life and career Clinton (left), accompanied by Abedin (center), greets people before a meeting on the Flood Emergency in Pakistan September 19, 2010 at United Nations headquarters in New York. Hide Caption 11 of 15 Photos: Huma Abedin's life and career Abedin (right) accompanies then-Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-New York) after Clinton voted in the Democratic primary election on February 5, 2008 in Chappaqua, New York. Hide Caption 12 of 15 Photos: Huma Abedin's life and career Clinton greets people during a campaign stop at The McConnell Center January 7, 2008 in Dover, New Hampshire, as Abedin stands behind her. Hide Caption 13 of 15 Photos: Huma Abedin's life and career Clinton (right) greets people during a campaign stop at Aeroservices, Inc. on January 4, 2008 in Nashua, New Hampshire, accompanied by Abedin. Hide Caption 14 of 15 Photos: Huma Abedin's life and career Abedin walks with Clinton at Andrews Air Force Base in 2000 as the Clintons prepared to leave for a wedding in Arkansas. Hide Caption 15 of 15

Abedin has been in Clinton's orbit since 1996, when she got a White House internship as a student at George Washington University. She has said she was hoping for a job in the press office, aspiring to be a journalist like her role model, Christiane Amanpour -- but she was assigned to work with the then-first lady's chief of staff. "The rest, as they say, is history," Abedin said of the experience in an April "Call Your Girlfriend" podcast

Born in Michigan, Abedin spent the majority of her childhood in Saudi Arabia, returning to the US for college. Her parents were scholars -- her father from India and her mother from Pakistan.

Abedin has worked closely with Clinton in practically all of her endeavors since the White House. She worked for Clinton in the Senate and worked for her Senate campaign. She was the traveling chief of staff, known as the body woman, for Clinton's unsuccessful 2008 presidential campaign.

State Department tenure controversial

But her time at the State Department has not only drawn controversy because of the emails later made public. Abedin was also given special status as a contractor with State after she left her formal role with Clinton to consult as well for a company called Teneo, formed by a Clinton insider. She also worked with the Clinton Foundation.

Just before she left her official State post, a mysterious LLC was formed with ties to her.

Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, a Republican, has long demanded answers about Abedin's work with the State Department, criticizing her designation as a Special Government Employee. Abedin has answered Grassley's inquiries with a defense of her varied work as separate.

Personal life made public

Abedin hasn't only made the news for her work with Clinton. Abedin married Weiner, the former New York Democratic congressman, in 2010. Former President Bill Clinton officiated their wedding.

At the time, the power couple was notable for Weiner's rising career and their Muslim-Jewish relationship. But in 2011, Weiner admitted to sending sexually explicit messages and pictures to women online, a scandal that effectively ended his political career. One picture accidentally appeared on his Twitter account.

Abedin stayed with him through that scandal, and the couple had a son, Jordan Zain Weiner, later that year.

During a failed run for New York City mayor in 2013, more explicit messages he sent came to light, originating from the time after his original scandal.

That time, Abedin again stood by his side and gave remarks at a press conference.

"What I want to say is I love him, I have forgiven him, I believe in him, and as I have said from the beginning, we are moving forward," she said in 2013, acknowledging "horrible mistakes" her husband had made. "It took a lot of work and a whole lot of therapy to get to a place where I could forgive Anthony. ... It was not an easy choice in any way, but I made the decision that it was worth staying in this marriage."

But in August, when another sexting scandal came to light , Abedin had enough and announced she would be separating from her husband. Sources close to Abedin told CNN that the couple had been estranged for some time, but said she was "furious and sickened" after The New York Post published a sexually suggestive photo of Weiner next to their 4-year-old son.

Questions over Abedin's background

Clinton's critics have seized on Abedin's Muslim and international background, with the New York Post making allegations this week about her association with an academic journal founded by her late father and run by her mother that examines issues related to Muslims living in Western societies. Abedin was listed on the publication's masthead for 10 years as an assistant editor, according to the Post.

The Post called it a "radical Muslim journal," but people familiar with it and the region describe the journal as scholarly, academic and nonpartisan, and said its content does not raise red flags.

Clinton's campaign said Abedin had very little involvement with the journal.

"She wasn't paid -- did little to no work," Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill said in an email to CNN.

Editor's note: This story was initially published in August. It has been updated.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misstated Abedin's age.