Ex-Miss Universe: Trump’s sex tape allegations ‘slander and cheap lies’

A former Miss Universe is hitting back at Donald Trump, calling his accusation that she once made a sex tape “slander and cheap lies.”

Alicia Machado took to Instagram on Friday, posting a picture of herself draped in an American flag and her response in Spanish.

“The Republican candidate and his campaign team are again generating attacks, insults and trying to revive defamations and false accusations about my life,” posted Machado. “The attacks are slander and cheap lies generated with bad intentions and no basis that have been spread by tabloids.”

It’s the latest salvo in a public fight between Machado and the GOP presidential nominee. Machado has accused Trump of making disparaging remarks about her weight and ethnicity, claiming he called the former beauty queen “Miss Piggy” and “Miss Housekeeping.”

Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton brought up Machado during Monday night’s presidential debate, repeating those accusations against Trump.

Trump fired back, posting three tweets Friday between 5:14 and 5:30 a.m., alleging the existence of a sex tape featuring Machado and mocking Clinton for using Machado as a “paragon of virtue.”

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

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!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2016

“When I was a young woman, the now-candidate humiliated me, insulted me, disrespected me publicly, as he usually did in private in the cruelest way,” Machado said in her response Friday. “Just like this happened to me, it’s clear over the years, that his actions and behaviors have been repeated with other women for decades.”

Clinton also joined the fray on Twitter, asking “what kind of man stays up all night to smear a woman with lies and conspiracy theories?” 

What kind of man stays up all night to smear a woman with lies and conspiracy theories?

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) September 30, 2016

Machado, who starred in telenovelas and became the first Miss Universe to pose in Playboy, has been a vocal critic of Trump during the campaign.

“Through his campaign of hate, the Republican candidate insists on discrediting and demoralizing a woman, which is definitely one of his most terrifying characteristics,” said Machado.

Trump’s campaign has hit back at Machado, even as critics warn that the controversy could hurt the GOP nominee with women and Hispanics, two groups he has struggled to win over.

Trump and Machado were first publicly linked in 1996, when she won the Miss Universe beauty pageant that he had just bought. 

Trump tried to make Machado’s subsequent weight gain a public issue, even once inviting the media to watch her work out at a gym.

In May, “Inside Edition” ran a segment reviving the issue, with Machado announcing she had become a citizen and would be voting for Clinton.

"El candidato republicano y su equipo de campaña nuevamente están generando ataques, insultos e intentando revivir difamaciones y falsas acusaciones sobre mi vida. Todo eso con la finalidad de intimidarme, humillarme y desequilibrarme una vez más. Los ataques que han surgido son calumnias y mentiras baratas generadas con malas intenciones, que no tienen fundamento que han sido difundidas por medios amarillistas. Ésta, por supuesto, no es la primera vez que enfrento una situación así. Por medio de su campaña de odio, el candidato republicano insiste en desacreditar y desmoralizar a una mujer, lo que definitivamente es una de sus características más aterradoras. Con esto, busca distraer la atención de sus reales problemas y de su incapacidad para pretender ser el líder de este gran país. Cuando era apenas una jovencita, el ahora candidato, me humilló, me insultó, me irrespetó públicamente, como lo hacía usualmente de forma privada de la forma más cruel. Así como esto me pasó a mí, es claro a través de los años, que sus acciones y conductas se han repetido con otras mujeres durante décadas. Por lo tanto, seguiré de pie, compartiendo mi historia, mi apoyo absoluto a la señora Clinton en nombre de las mujeres, de mis hermanas, tías, abuelas, primas, amigas y la comunidad femenina. A mis latinas y en general, quiero agradecerles todo el apoyo, el amor y el respeto, a mi carrera, a mi persona como ser humano y a mi familia. Yo me hice ciudadana de este gran país porque aquí nació mi hija y porque quería ejercer todos mis derechos, entre ellos votar. Continuaré de pie, firme en mi experiencia vivida como Miss Universo y ustedes conmigo apoyándome. He estado tan complacida por tantas palabras amables, por tanto amor. Yo estoy centrándome en mi ocupada carrera, en mi labor de madre y voy a seguir dando pasos positivos para la comunidad latina, seguiré como activista en pro de los derechos de la mujer y el respeto que nos merecemos. Aprecio todo su amor y todo su apoyo nuevamente, gracias". Miles de bendiciones.

A photo posted by Alicia Machado (@machadooficial) on Sep 30, 2016 at 7:25am PDT