As he typically does, Donald Trump let loose on a variety of topics during a campaign event Friday night. But the Republican presidential candidate took special aim at Hillary Clinton’s close aide, Huma Abedin and her husband, Anthony Weiner, calling the latter a “sleazebag” and a “perv.”
While slamming Clinton over the ongoing scandal involving her emails, Trump took a detour to discuss Abedin and Weiner, who he called “one of the great sleazebags of our time.”
“She’s married to Anthony Weiner, you know the little ‘bing bing bing,'” Trump said, mimicking sending a message on a cell phone. Weiner famously resigned his congressional seat in 2011 after he was caught sexting with a fan. He and Abedin remain married.
“So Huma is getting classified secrets,” Trump continued. “She’s married to Anthony Weiner, who’s a perv.”
The real estate billionaire went on to insinuate that Abedin has shared classified information with her husband, who recently took a job at a PR firm.
“Do you think there is even a 5 percent chance that she is not telling Anthony Weiner, now of the public relations firm, what the hell is coming across?” he asked. “Do you think there is a little bit of a chance? I don’t think so.”
Trump said that he had known Weiner a long time and that he was a “bad guy.” He did not, however, mention to the audience that he has donated to Weiner’s past congressional campaigns.
Abedin has gained increased notoriety as the Clinton email scandal has unfolded. The 40-year-old, who has worked for Clinton for two decades and is often seen at her side, used an email account maintained on Clinton’s private email server. She has also sent and received numerous documents across non-government email channels that have recently been determined to contain classified information.
Abedin has also come under scrutiny for a unique work arrangement she maintained while at the State Department. She received a special government employee waiver in 2012 which allowed her to work at the State Department while also holding positions at the Clinton Foundation and at Teneo Holdings, a consulting company with close ties to the Clintons.
Clinton’s campaign spokesman, Nick Merrill, responded late Friday to Trump’s remarks, calling them “disgraceful.”
.@realDonaldTrump crossed the line this evening. Disgraceful. pic.twitter.com/RkMqOQa7fO
— Nick Merrill (@NickMerrill) August 29, 2015