Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has started going after former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner — and Hillary Rodham Clinton’s aide Huma Abedin by association — in a new attack tied to the private emails of Mrs. Clinton, the former secretary of state and 2016 Democratic presidential front-runner.
“I think it’s a very fair statement that I made, and a lot of people have congratulated me,” Mr. Trump said after an event in Nashville, Tennessee, on Saturday, CNN reported. “[Abedin] is receiving this very, very important information and giving it to Hillary. Well, who else is she giving it to? Her husband has serious problems, and on top of that, he now works for a public relations firm. So how can she be married to this guy who’s got these major problems?”
A day earlier, Mr. Trump had called Mr. Weiner, who is married to Ms. Abedin, a “perv” and implied that Ms. Abedin could have shared sensitive information with him.
The State Department is due to release another round of Mrs. Clinton’s emails on Monday, as questions over the Democratic presidential front-runner’s private email arrangement while serving as the nation’s top diplomat continue to dog her presidential campaign.
Mr. Trump said Saturday that Mr. Weiner “obviously is psychologically disturbed” and that it was “dangerous” for Ms. Abedin to receive sensitive information from Mrs. Clinton, CNN reported.
On Friday, Mr. Trump had gone after Mr. Weiner while alluding to the former congressman’s sending illicit text messages.
“So Huma now is one of the people that it all sort of came through, Huma,” Mr. Trump said at an event in Massachusetts. “Who is Huma married to? One of the great sleazebags of our time. Anthony Weiner. Did you know that? She’s married to Anthony Weiner.”
“You know, the little bing bing bing,” Mr. Trump said, miming playing with a cell phone. “’I love you very much.’”
“No, think of it — so Huma is getting classified secrets, she’s married to Anthony Weiner, who’s a perv — no, he is. He is … now these are confidential documents — she’s married to this guy, and guess what happens to Anthony Weiner?” he said.
“A month ago, I see he went to work for a public relations firm — you believe it? Now if you think that Huma isn’t telling Anthony, who she’s probably desperately in love with in all fairness to Anthony, ’cause why else would she marry this guy, can you believe it? Can’t see straight,” Mr. Trump said.
“Look, think of it: So it’s coming through Huma, she’s got a lot of stuff, lot of information, who knows? So she’s married to a bad guy. I know Anthony Weiner for a long time. I knew before they caught him with the bing bing bing, right? And he was a bad guy then. It turned out that he was a really bad guy.” he said.
“So she’s married to Anthony Weiner — do you think there’s even a 5 percent chance that she’s not telling Anthony Weiner, now of a public relations firm, what the hell is coming across? Do you think there’s even a little bit of a chance? I don’t think so,” Mr. Trump said.
Nick Merrill, a spokesman for Mrs. Clinton’s presidential campaign, responded Friday, posting the following statement on Twitter: “Donald Trump has spent the summer saying offensive things about women, but there is no place for patently false, personal attacks towards a staff member.”
“He should be ashamed of himself, and others in his own party should take a moment to stand up to him and draw the line for once,” the statement continued. “It’s embarrassing to watch frankly.”
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.