Trump dings both Clintons in rollicking press conference

MIAMI (AP) — Donald Trump made an extraordinary plea for Russia to help find Hillary Clinton’s missing emails — but he hardly stopped there in a scattershot news conference Wednesday that doubled as counter-programming to the ongoing Democratic National Convention.

Among the other items Trump touched upon on the nearly hour-long press conference held at one of his Florida resorts:

___

BILL CLINTON’S SPEECH:

Former President Bill Clinton delivered an impassioned speech at the Democratic National Convention praising his wife, Hillary Clinton.

But Trump said that he was disappointed that Bill Clinton’s lengthy telling of their life story had left out a portion — presumably his sex scandals.

“He left out the most interesting chapter,” said Trump. “I won’t get into that — a chapter that I really waited for — because it was pretty boring. The chapter that I waited for, I never heard.”

___

HILLARY CLINTON’S SECURITY BRIEFINGS:

Trump said that he has “a real problem” with Hillary Clinton receiving nation security briefings because of the way she mishandled sensitive information during her tenure as secretary of state.

“I don’t think it’s safe to have Hillary Clinton be briefed on national security because the word will get out,” he said, pointing to her use of a private email address and server.

Trump also singled out top Clinton aide Huma Abedin, suggesting that she would share classified information with her husband, former New York Rep. Anthony Weiner, who resigned in a sexting scandal. Trump called Weiner “a sleaze ball and a pervert.”

He also called for Clinton, who was nominated her party’s convention Tuesday night, to have her first press conference in months.

___

MINIMUM WAGE:

Trump said that he’d like to see the federal minimum wage increased to “at least” $10.

“The minimum wage has to go up,” he told reporters. “But I think that states should really call the shots.”

Trump pointed to the fact that different states have dramatically different living costs, noting that in his home state of New York, “You can’t buy a hot dog for the money you’re talking about.”

The move represents a break from his party — and from Trump’s past statements. He also says that he’ll spur job creation so the minimum wage is “peanuts” compared to what people can make.

___

IMMIGRATION SCREENING:

Trump is saying his campaign will soon publish a list of countries from which immigrants will need to undergo “extreme vetting” before entering the United States.

“We have people coming in this country with very evil intentions,” Trump said. “We cannot let those people come in.”

Trump has been hard to pin down on his immigration plan, which he initially framed as a temporary ban on Muslims from entering the United States.

He has now said that people from any country that has been compromised by terrorism would be subject to tougher screening measures. He has not identified the countries but has said it could include traditional U.S. allies like France.

___

TIM KAINE’S HOME STATE:

Trump twice misidentified the home state of Hillary Clinton’s new running mate, Tim Kaine.

Trump said that Kaine, a senator from Virginia, was from New Jersey.

“Her running mate, Tim Kaine, who by the way, did a terrible job in New Jersey,” Trump said at a news conference in Miami. “He was not very popular in New Jersey, and he still isn’t.”

He was then corrected by an audience member.

Trump might have confused Kaine with former Republican New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean, pronounced the same as Kaine. Kean led the state from 1982 to 1990 while Trump was building his casino empire in Atlantic City. Kaine was governor of Virginia from 2006 to 2010.

_____

Lemire contributed reporting from New York.

____

Reach Lemire on Twitter at http://twitter.com/@JonLemire and Colvin at http://twitter.com/@colvinj