(NewsNation) — Former New York Rep. Anthony Weiner has become a talking point for some in the GOP after former President Donald Trump called him out for emails found on a laptop, which the FBI looked at as part of an investigation into Hillary Clinton.
Weiner says Trump is “doing anything possible to create a diversion” from the indictment and accusations that he mishandled government documents.
About halfway through his speech to supporters Tuesday following his arraignment, Trump offered a potential preview of his legal defense and made comments about Weiner.
“Hillary stored vast quantities of classified and sensitive information on her illicit server, some of it happening to leak into Anthony Weiner’s computer. Remember Anthony Weiner, into his computer, you don’t want to be on his computer. And all of it was illegal,” Trump said as the crowd laughed while at his New Jersey golf club.
Weiner was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison in 2017 for sexting a 15-year-old girl. The messages prompted the FBI to open an investigation because emails Hillary Clinton had sent to aide Huma Abedin, Weiner’s wife at the time, were found on a laptop federal agents seized from him.
“Donald Trump was reading from the teleprompter, using my name. That was a clarion call to his friends on the right to, ‘Let’s use Hillary Clinton, let’s use Anthony Weiner,” Weiner told NewsNation host Dan Abrams. “It’s very convoluted, but it is a strategy that they’re going to have to use in the Donald Trump case — any possible boogeyman they can point to, any possible diversion from the actual indictment.”
Weiner now works as a talk show host on a conservative radio station.
“So the fact that Anthony Weiner was thrown up, Huma Abedin and Hillary Clinton, we are career boogeyman for the right. But in this case, it’s driving ratings on my show, so I’m not terribly concerned,” Weiner said.
Weiner added: “No one is trying to defend (what Trump did), so they’re doing anything possible to create a diversion. And yes, I guess I give them another diversion to create.”
Trump entered a not guilty plea Tuesday to 37 federal charges, including 31 under the Espionage Act for allegedly mishandling classified documents.
According to the indictment, investigators recovered documents including sensitive national security information about the military and U.S. nuclear weapons, as well as military contingency plans and correspondence involving foreign leaders.
Trump is the first former president to face federal charges.
