Story highlights

Donald Trump executive vice president Michael Cohen defended shots at top Clinton staffer Huma Abedin

Trump brought called Abedin's husband, embattled Democrat Anthony Weiner, a "perv sleazebag"

Cohen became defensive when asked if candidates should be allowed to attack his wife

Washington CNN  — 

A chief adviser to Donald Trump is defending the Republican presidential candidate’s recent attacks on Huma Abedin, a top aide to Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, who is also closely connected to the former secretary of state’s issues regarding her use of a private email server.

“It’s politics. All’s fair in love and war,” Trump Executive Vice President Michael Cohen told CNN’s “New Day” on Monday. “It appears that every time they want to attack Mr Trump that it’s fair game. When he takes a little shot back, then all of a sudden it’s ‘Oh. He’s crossed the boundaries. You know, Donald Trump has been a counter-puncher throughout this entire process.”

Trump tweeted Monday morning “Huma Abedin, the top aide to Hillary Clinton and the wife of perv sleazebag Anthony Wiener, was a major security risk as a collector of info.”

But Cohen became testy when asked, on-air, if he would be OK with a candidate taking a shot at his wife.

“My wife is a really good lady,” he said.

While Hillary Clinton’s campaign has yet to respond to Monday’s comments specifically, campaign press secretary Nick Merrill called similar comments Trump made about Abedin on Friday “disgraceful.”

“Donald Trump has spent the summer saying offensive things about women, but there is no place for patently false, personal attacks towards a staff member,” Merrill said in a social media post. “He should be ashamed of himself, and others in his own party should take a moment to stand up to him and draw the line for once. It’s embarrassing to watch frankly.”

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