President Trump Donald John TrumpFederal prosecutor speaks out, says Barr 'has brought shame' on Justice Dept. Former Pence aide: White House staffers discussed Trump refusing to leave office Progressive group buys domain name of Trump's No. 1 Supreme Court pick MORE lashed out at the Democratic Party and Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonBloomberg rolls out M ad buy to boost Biden in Florida Hillicon Valley: Productivity, fatigue, cybersecurity emerge as top concerns amid pandemic | Facebook critics launch alternative oversight board | Google to temporarily bar election ads after polls close Trump pledges to make Juneteenth a federal holiday, designate KKK a terrorist group in pitch to Black voters MORE on Saturday, quipping that Democrats "need a Green Party more than ever" after Clinton suggested that the third party's 2016 candidate for president was a "Russian asset."

In a tweet, the president weighed in on the ongoing controversy sparked by Clinton on Friday when she suggested that Stein was working on behalf of Russia or to aid Russian election interference efforts during her 2016 run for president. Stein has been blamed for winning votes that otherwise could have been won by Clinton.

"Crooked Hillary Clinton just called the respected environmentalist and Green Party candidate, Jill Stein, a 'Russian Asset.' They need a Green Party more than ever after looking at the Democrats disastrous environmental program!" Trump tweeted.

Crooked Hillary Clinton just called the respected environmentalist and Green Party candidate, Jill Stein, a “Russian Asset.” They need a Green Party more than ever after looking at the Democrats disastrous environmental program! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 19, 2019

Despite agreement from some Democrats on Friday, Clinton sparked controversy when she suggested that Stein was a "Russian asset" and added that Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Tulsi GabbardRepublicans call on DOJ to investigate Netflix over 'Cuties' film Hispanic Caucus campaign arm endorses slate of non-Hispanic candidates Gabbard says she 'was not invited to participate in any way' in Democratic convention MORE (D-Hawaii), a 2020 candidate for president, was being "groomed" by Russia to run as a third-party candidate.

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In his tweet, Trump referred to Stein as a "respected environmentalist," words of praise that come despite Stein's own frequent criticism of the president and his administration.

Most recently, Stein attacked Trump in August for "gutting" the Endangered Species Act (ESA) with new rules that critics said severely weakened the act's protections.

Trump's gutting of Endangered Species Act (ESA) is another case of environmental mass destruction. This expands on decades of bipartisan ecocide that’s pushed 1 Mil species on fast-track to extinction. We must massively expand ESA w/ real Green New Deal. https://t.co/1CjANY0tgS — Dr. Jill Stein (@DrJillStein) August 14, 2019

He returned to the attack later Saturday, slamming Clinton for suggesting both Stein and Gabbard were "Russian asset[s]".

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"So now Crooked Hillary is at it again! She is calling Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard “a Russian favorite,” and Jill Stein “a Russian asset.” As you may have heard, I was called a big Russia lover also (actually, I do like Russian people. I like all people!). Hillary’s gone Crazy!" he tweeted Saturday night.