Trump camp: Dean ‘went straight to the gutter’

Donald Trump’s campaign on Tuesday criticized Howard Dean for his comments appearing to question whether the Republican presidential nominee’s debate-night sniffles may be related to cocaine use.

{mosads}”Governor Dean’s comment was beyond the pale and has no place in our important political discussion,” the Trump campaign said in a statement, according to an NBC News reporter.

“On a night where millions of Americans were able to compare and contrast the policies of both candidates, Governor Dean went straight to the gutter and was nothing more than a sad distraction in a desperate attempt to stay relevant.”

New: @realDonaldTrump camp on @GovHowardDean cocaine comments: “beyond the pale,” “to the gutter,” “desperate attempt to stay relevant” pic.twitter.com/NTnoZHiwbC

— Hallie Jackson (@HallieJackson) September 28, 2016

Dean, a doctor and former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, first brought up the issue in a tweet Monday night.

“Notice Trump sniffling all the time. Coke user?” Dean tweeted.

On Tuesday, Dean doubled down on the insinuation.

“That is actually a signature of people who use cocaine,” Dean said on MSNBC.

“I’m not suggesting that Trump does, but I’m suggesting we think about it, because here’s the interesting constellation — he sniffs during the presentation, which is something that users do. He also has grandiosity, which is something that accompanies that problem. … It’s something I think it’d be interesting to ask him and see if he ever had a problem with that.”

There is no evidence Trump has ever used cocaine, and Trump has long said he doesn’t drink alcohol or take any illegal drugs.