US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said he might invite Gennifer Flowers to the nationally televised debate he will have with his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton on Monday.
Flowers claimed in 1992 that she and Clinton's husband, former President Bill Clinton, who at the time was running for President, had had a romantic relationship in the 1970s, EFE news reported.
The mogul's campaign director, Kellyanne Conway, said on Sunday on CNN that the possibility that Flowers might be in the debate audience was suggested so that Hillary Clinton knows that the two candidates may invite people whose presence might adversely affect their opponent to the Monday contest at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York.
However, she told CNN, "We have not invited (Flowers) formally, and we do not expect her to be there as a guest of the Trump campaign."
Trump had tweeted on Saturday that he might invite Flowers after billionaire Dallas Mavericks owner, harsh Trump critic and strong Clinton supporter Mark Cuban said on his Twitter account that Clinton's campaign had invited him to attend the debate and sit in the front row, ostensibly to rattle the mogul.
"If dopey Mark Cuban of failed Benefactor fame wants to sit in the front row, perhaps I will put Gennifer Flowers right alongside of him!" Trump had tweeted, referring to Cuban's now-cancelled television reality show "The Benefactor".
The alleged former lover of President Clinton had quickly responded: "Hi Donald. You know I'm in your corner and will definitely be at the debate."
Hillary Clinton's campaign later issued a statement saying that the candidate "plans on using the debate to discuss the issues that make a difference in people's lives".
"It's not surprising that Donald Trump has chosen a different path," the campaign spokeswoman, Jennifer Palmieri, added.
Clinton and Trump are virtually tied just prior to Monday's debate, according to a new national voter survey published on Sunday by The Washington Post and ABC News, EFE news added.
It is expected that the Monday night debate will be one of the most heavily watched television events in history with eight out of 10 voters saying they plan to tune in, according to the Washington Post poll.
Of those polled, 44 per cent say they expect Clinton to "win" the debate and 34 per cent think that Trump will be victorious.
--IANS
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