WASHINGTON _ Donald Trump said Friday that Democratic presidential rival Hillary Clinton was "duped" into using his comments about a "disgusting" former Miss Universe to attack him.
Trump has repeatedly gone after 1996 Miss Universe winner Alicia Machado, now a U.S. citizen living in Los Angeles, after Clinton brought her up in Monday night's presidential debate.
She said Trump called Machado "Miss Piggy" when she gained weight after the pageant, and "Miss Housekeeping," a dig at her Venezuelan ethnicity.
"Donald, she has a name: Her name is Alicia Machado," Clinton said. "She has become a U.S. citizen, and you can bet she's going to vote this November."
Trump told Fox News the next morning that the moment "rattled" him, and he's attacked Machado's character in a series of television interviews in the days since. Machado has defended herself in a series of interviews as well, saying Trump's criticism of her body contributed to her eating disorder.
His push back against Machado and Clinton is reminiscent of Trump's criticism of the Muslim parents of a U.S. soldier who died in Iraq following their emotional appearance at the Democratic National Convention.
In a series of early morning tweets Friday, Trump alluded to a 1998 accusation against Machado of being an accomplice to an attempted murder (the charges were dropped) and speculated about how Machado became a U.S. citizen.
Here are the three tweets:
_Wow, Crooked Hillary was duped and used by my worst Miss U. Hillary floated her as an "angel" without checking her past, which is terrible!
_Using Alicia M in the debate as a paragon of virtue just shows that Crooked Hillary suffers from BAD JUDGEMENT! Hillary was set up by a con.
_Did Crooked Hillary help disgusting (check out sex tape and past) Alicia M become a U.S. citizen so she could use her in the debate?
No evidence exists that Machado ever made a sex tape.
Trump also said that unnamed sources quoted by news outlets about him were made up.
It's unclear whether that tweet was referring to a specific story. Several recent stories about the Republican nominee that relied at least in part on unnamed sources suggested dissent within the campaign, including a New York Times article about campaign advisors frustrated he didn't prepare enough for Monday's debate.
And on Thursday evening, the Washington Post reported that Trump's foundation lacks state certification needed for charities to solicit contributions.
