Washington: US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has again disparaged former Miss Universe Alicia Machado's character during an early morning tweet storm on Friday, accusing her of having a "sex tape."
Trump's attack on Machado, which appeared to be based on rumours circulating on the internet, came amid an ongoing controversy over his comments about her weight gain in the months after she won the Miss Universe pageant in 1996.
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Trump's Twitter tirade against former Miss Universe
Taking to Twitter to deepen his attack on former Miss Universe Alicia Machado US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump posts online at 3am.
His refusal to back away from his attacks on the Venezuelan-born Machado threaten to damage his already weak standing among women and Hispanics. He already faces a backlash from Cuban-Americans over allegations he tried to set up deals with Cuba under the American embargo.
In a series of tweets sent from his Twitter account on Friday morning, Trump called Machado "disgusting," a "con" and raised questions about her past.
The tweets, which were sent between 3am and 5.30am US time, are the latest in a series of negative statements Trump has made about Machado.
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?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2016
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.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2016
The allegation that Machado had a "sex tape" appears to be false. Trump appears to have been referring to racy footage from a Spanish-language reality television show called La Granja, on which she appeared in 2005.
There is also no evidence supporting that Trump's allegation that Hillary Clinton helped Machado become a US citizen in order to attack him.
His Democratic rival hit back immediately on Friday, calling Trump's renewed attacks on Machado "unhinged."
What kind of man stays up all night to smear a woman with lies and conspiracy theories?
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) September 30, 2016
Trump's public treatment of Machado has been at the centre of intense scrutiny since Clinton mentioned Machado during Monday night's presidential debate.
Clinton had raised Trump's treatment of Machado as an example of how he views women. Clinton said Trump, the former owner of the Miss Universe pageants, had called Machado "Miss Piggy" and "Miss Housekeeping" because of her Latin American background.
In an attempt to discredit Machado, Trump's allies have also pointed to news reports of a controversial incident in 1998 in Venezuela, in which Machado was suspected of having driven a getaway car for her then-boyfriend after he shot someone. She later allegedly threatened the judge involved in the case. No charges were ever filed against her, and earlier this week she called those reports "speculation."
Machado denounced the accusations on Friday as "cheap lies" from a man intent on defaming her, posting her response in Spanish on Instagram next to a photo of herself draped in the US flag.
"By way of his hate campaign, the Republican candidate insists on discrediting and demoralising a woman, which is clearly one of his most frightening characteristics," she wrote.
Clinton's campaign chairman, John Podesta, mocked Trump on social media Friday morning.
I'm almost @realDonaldTrump's age, so get the urge to get up in the middle of the night, but impt safety tip: don't reach for your phone.
— John Podesta (@johnpodesta) September 30, 2016
The Washington Post, Reuters