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NEW YORK A new documentary about the 2013 mayoral run of disgraced ex-Congressman Anthony Weiner could be the latest thorn in the side of Hillary Clintons presidential campaign.

Previewed exclusively by the New York Times this week, Weiner was deemed by the paper a visceral film that is a potentially distracting issue in Clintons campaign, as Weiners wife, Huma Abedin, one of Clinton's closest advisors, appears throughout.

The Times says Weiner shows how Ms. Abedin with facial expressions ranging from hurt to hostile copes with the second sex scandal to engulf her husbands career and crush her hopes of becoming a powerful political wife.

After it premieres at the Sundance Film Festival, Weiner will be released in theaters on May 20, and is slated to have a TV premiere on Showtime in October, just weeks ahead of the general election.

Tony Sayegh, a Republican strategist and Fox News Contributor, said the Weiner repercussions could be very real for Clinton, and cost her the support of some female voters.

Among the more damaging is that it reveals another example of how hollow the war on women argument is when coming from the Hillary camp, disabling that most favorite of perennial liberal ad hominem attacks is the equivalent of taking Superman's ability to leap tall buildings away, Sayegh told FOX411. For both Anthony Weiner and Bill Clinton, their sexual misconduct went well beyond the realm of a boys will be boys defense.And it was Hillary and Huma to the rescue all in the name personal advancement.That is not a story Hillary wants out there, especially through a more popular medium that has the ability to reach a broader audience.

But Brad Blakeman, a member of former President George W. Bushs Senior Staff and a Professor of Public Policy, Politics and International Affairs at Georgetown University, says the documentary is the least of Hillarys concerns.

If you like Hillary, the film will reinforce the vast right wing conspiracy and if you dont like Hillary the film will just validate what you already thought, he said.

Dan Gerstein, an independent political strategist and owner of Gotham Ghostwriters, a ghostwriting agency that specializes in speeches, agreed with Blakeman that while the documentary could be a distraction to Clintons presidential bid, she has bigger fish to fry.

It affects her aide, he said, referring to Abedin. Its an indirect negative, and therefore the press finds it more interesting than the public does. Im not trying to say its a positive by any means. Clinton has much bigger issues affecting her campaign than a side show like this.

One person who couldnt care less about the movie? Weiners sexting partner, Sydney Leathers.

Im not concerned about any of it coming back up because I find it hilarious. Its not a big deal to me, Leathers told FOX411. Its certainly not a good look for Hillary.There are comparisons to be made between Weiners behavior and Bills behavior. I find it fascinating the way Huma and Hillary have handled infidelity in their marriages.It seems they apply a Dont Ask, Dont Tell Policy when it comes to [their husbands].

Leathers, who found herself entangled in yet another sexting scandal with Indiana State Rep Justin Moed in 2015, had a few more words for Weiner.

He should just be happy anyone cares about him after he resigned from Congress and had a failed mayoral bid, she added. What other unemployed, sex obsessed, creepy middle-aged men have documentaries coming out about them?

FOX411 reached out to Anthony Weiner, Huma Abedin, the Hillary Clinton campaign, and filmmakers Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg, but did not receive comment.

Diana Falzone is a FoxNews.com reporter.You can follow her on Twitter @dianafalzone.

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Could documentary 'Weiner' cost Hillary Clinton women's votes ...

"I am very pleased that he flip-flopped on the immunity legislation," Clinton told CNN's Jake Tapper on "State of the Union," a day after Sanders, who had been hammered by her campaign for his past position, announced he would change course and back legislation to reverse a 2005 law granting firearm manufacturers legal immunity.

She then called on her rival to do the same with the so-called "Charleston loophole," which allows licensed dealers, once they have initiated a federal background check, to complete the gun sale in question if they haven't hears back from authorities after three days.

Clinton also defended her campaign's decision to employ daughter Chelsea as a surrogate and critic of Sanders.

At an event last week, Clinton's daughter accused the Vermont senator of attempting to "dismantle" popular programs like Medicare as part of his push for single-payer health care.

But Clinton defended the comment Sunday, calling it "factual" and suggesting Chelsea had not sought out the issue, but simply "been asked a question."

Asked about the ongoing probe into her use of a private email server during her time leading the State Department, Clinton said he not been interviewed by the FBI.

Clinton is not under investigation by the bureau, and is not the subject of any criminal investigation, but her use of the private server -- instead of a more deeply encrypted government account -- set off what's known as security referral, or inquiry into the location of certain pieces of classified information.

Republicans' suggestions that Clinton's server holds previously unseen communications about the deadly 2012 assault on the American outpost in Benghazi, Libya, has provided fodder for a long series of political attacks.

Still, Clinton said she had not yet seen the new movie about the Benhazi raid, released nationally last week, which doesn't name her but does cast blame on bureaucratic officials for not doing more to aid the contractors and U.S. ambassador killed after militants stormed their compound.

The former secretary of state also addressed the pressure on the 74-year-old Sanders to release his medical records.

"I've released my medical records and I remember being asked frequently to do so," Clinton said, adding she would the decision was now "up to his campaign."

On Saturday, Clinton's own campaign chairman, John Podesta, seemed to push back again super PAC chief David Brock.

"Chill out," he wrote in a tweet after reports of the group's plans began to spread. "We're fighting on who would make a better President, not on who has a better Physical Fitness Test."

Speaking with Tapper after Clinton, Sanders said he was healthy and planned on releasing details soon.

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Hillary Clinton zeroes in on Bernie Sanders - CNNPolitics.com

The former secretary of state told National Public Radio that the report was a "leak" designed to harm her in the presidential race despite offering no evidence. And a spokesman for the Democratic presidential front-runner went so far as to publicly accuse investigators looking into her server as conspiring with Republican senators to embarrass her.

"As the State Department has confirmed, I never sent or received any material marked classified, and that hasn't changed in all of these months," she said. "This, seems to me, to be, you know, another effort to inject this into the campaign. It's another leak."

She also called an inspector general's letter a "continuation of an inter-agency dispute that has been going on now for some months."

Clinton was referring to a letter sent by Intelligence Community Inspector General I. Charles McCullough III to leaders on congressional intelligence committees last week detailing the findings from a review of Clinton's emails, a spokeswoman for the inspector general confirmed to CNN.

Two government agencies flagged emails on Clinton's server as containing classified information, the inspector general said, including some on "special access programs," which are a subset of the highest "Top Secret" level of classification, but are under subject to more stringent control rules than even other Top Secret information."

Clinton's spokesman, Brian Fallon, told Bloomberg that the campaign believes McCullough and Republican senators worked together to make sure the report would become public.

"It is suspect from the beginning that the intelligence community inspector general is continuing to reveal materials and surface allegations while the Justice Department review is going on," Fallon told Bloomberg. "It's completely fair to suspect that the intelligence community inspector general is not operating in good faith."

Fallon also appeared on CNN Wednesday morning to dispute the report. He argued on "New Day" that the information described as "classified" may be no more than a news article that was forwarded, although he ceded it is not entirely clear what classified material the report mentions.

Fallon argued that the crux of the issue is a dispute between the State Department and the intelligence community over what should be classified. He said the emails were not classified in the eyes of the State Department when they were sent to Clinton. Fallon also implied the inspector general has an ax to grind with Clinton.

There were several dozen emails in question beyond the two previously reported emails containing top secret information, according to the report.

RELATED: Some Clinton Benghazi emails released

Clinton's campaign and the State Department have long denied that any information was handled improperly, saying that the information and emails in question were all retroactively classified.

State also has noted that the same information can come from multiple sources, not all of which are classified.

State Department spokesman John Kirby said the department is still undergoing its review process, but any upgraded classification that is needed will be done.

"The State Department is focused on and committed to releasing former Secretary Clinton's emails in a manner that protects sensitive information," Kirby said in a statement. "No one takes this more seriously than we do. We have said repeatedly that we anticipate more upgrades throughout our release process. Our (Freedom of Information Act) review process is still ongoing. Once that process is complete, if it is determined that information should be classified as Top Secret, we will do so."

The Justice Department is investigating if classified information improperly ended up on Clinton's email server. The server contained correspondence between Clinton and a variety of aides and friends.

Republican lawmakers requested the inspector general investigate in March.

The Inspector General report was first reported by Fox News. It comes as the State Department is facing over a dozen Freedom of Information Act lawsuits related to information on or about Clinton's private email server.

On Wednesday, the department released a set of emails between top Clinton aides and an IT staffer to The Daily Caller and the advocacy group Cause of Action in one such suit.

Earlier in the week, the same plaintiffs received emails from Clinton aide Huma Abedin, now a top official on Clinton's presidential campaign, which show Clinton was given the option of using a State Department Blackberry for email purposes, but the option was dismissed.

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Report: Hillary Clinton server contained highly classified ...

America had just elected a Democratic president. The Senate was majority-Democratic. The House of Representatives had more Democrats than at any time since 1992.

The Republicans could either change themselves -- by embracing the young, diverse and tolerant America of the 21st century -- or they could try to change whose voices count in our democracy.

We all know the cynical path they chose. Six years ago Thursday, the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United transformed our politics by allowing corporations to spend unlimited amounts of money to influence elections.

The effect was immediate. In the 2010 midterms, outside groups spent nearly 60% more than in 2006. In 2014, the top 100 donors spent nearly as much as all 4.75 million small donors combined. National networks of big-money donors funneled mountains of cash into targeted state races. By 2014, one party controlled both the governor's mansion and the state legislature in 36 states -- the most since the 1950s.

Meanwhile, Republicans launched an aggressive campaign to restrict voting rights across the country. After the 2010 election, lawmakers in 41 states introduced at least 180 measures designed to make it harder for people to vote. This ugly effort got a boost in 2013 when the Supreme Court made another disastrous ruling, striking down hard-won Voting Rights Act protections. Today, 21 states have new laws restricting voting rights.

And some of the greatest damage to voting rights has come in states with single-party control -- like North Carolina, which eliminated same-day voter registration and slashed early voting; Florida, which instituted such heavy restrictions on voter registration drives that the League of Women Voters had to shut down operations; and Alabama, which passed a strict photo ID requirement and then closed dozens of driver's license offices across the state, making it much harder for citizens to get the IDs they now need to vote.

Put it all together -- the flood of corporate money in our elections, the rise of single-party control of state governments, the sharp increase in voting-rights restrictions -- and the result is unmistakable. Our democracy is being hollowed out. And that should offend every American, no matter what party you belong to.

We can't let this continue. It's time to reclaim our democracy, reform our distorted campaign finance system and restore access to the ballot box in all 50 states.

That starts with reversing Citizens United. And that's where my comprehensive plan to restore common sense to campaign finance begins. As president, I'll appoint Supreme Court justices who recognize that Citizens United is bad for America. And if necessary, I'll fight for a constitutional amendment that overturns it.

Meanwhile, we need more transparency in our politics. In the last three elections, more than $600 million in donations came from unknown, untraceable sources. That's a lot of secret, unaccountable money. As president, I'll require federal contractors to fully disclose their political spending. I'll call on the Securities and Exchange Commission to require that publicly traded companies do the same. And I'll fight for legislation requiring the disclosure of all significant political donations, no matter where they come from or who they benefit. Whether you're a Democrat or a Republican, you should have to identify your donors.

We should also make it easier for Americans to run for elected office. You shouldn't have to be rich or well-connected to serve. I'll fight to create a robust small-donor matching system, so people with good ideas and a passion for public service know that they can run without having to court big donors and special interests.

Finally, we have to do a much better job of protecting Americans' voting rights. Nothing is more vital to our democracy. I'll fight to restore the full protections of the Voting Rights Act. And I'll go further, because we should be making it easier to vote, not harder.

All Americans should be automatically registered to vote on their 18th birthdays, unless they opt out. Every state should have at least 20 days of early in-person voting. And no one should ever have to wait more than 30 minutes to cast a ballot.

Citizens United and its aftermath have twisted and perverted our democratic system. Now the deck is stacked even more in favor of those at the top. But as Al Smith, another Democrat from New York, once said, "All the ills of democracy can be cured by more democracy." So that's what we need now: more transparency, more accountability, and above all, more citizens exercising their right to vote.

This November, we can show Republicans that they made the wrong choice eight years ago. Let's restore people's voices and people's votes to their rightful place -- at the center of our democracy.

Join us on Facebook.com/CNNOpinion. Read CNNOpinion's Flipboard magazine.

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The Register's Editorial 7:43 a.m. CST January 25, 2016

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The Des Moines Register editorial board endorses Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination.(Photo: Mark Marturello/Register Illustration)Buy Photo

If theres one thing Democrats and Republicans agree on this year, its the fact that the next president will face enormous challenges.

Domestically, this president must work with Congress in confronting the issues of immigration, health care, increased threats to national security, the disappearing middle class, the growing deficit, Social Security solvency, gun control, renewable energy, sentencing reform and more.

On the world stage, this president will have to work with foreign leaders in dealing with ISIS and other terrorists, climate change, the containment of nuclear threats posed in North Korea and Iran, the Russian incursions in Ukraine and foreign trade.

The presidency is not an entry-level position. Whoever is sworn into office next January must demonstrate not only a deep understanding of the issues facing America, but also possess the diplomatic skills that enable presidents to forge alliances to get things done.

By that measure, Democrats have one outstanding candidate deserving of their support: Hillary Clinton. No other candidate can match the depth or breadth of her knowledge and experience.

As first lady, she worked tirelessly on health care reform and, with bipartisan support, created the Childrens Health Insurance Program that provides coverage for 8 million children.

As a senator, she reached across party lines and joined forces with conservatives, including Sen. Lindsey Graham and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, to fight for job creation and universal health care.

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As secretary of state, she helped secure international sanctions against Iran and redefined her job by expanding Americas diplomatic agenda to include poverty, womens rights, the environment and other issues.

She is not a perfect candidate, as evidenced the way she has handled the furor over her private email server. In our endorsement of her 2008 campaign for president, we wrote that when she makes a mistake, she should just say so. That appears to be a lesson she has yet to fully embrace.

The Des Moines Register editorial board announces its endorsement of Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination for president.

Her changing stance on gay marriage, immigration and other issues has invited accusations that she is guided less by personal conviction than by political calculations. She refutes that, and argues persuasively that a willingness to change ones thinking on specific issues, while remaining true to what she calls the same values and principles, is a virtue, one lacking in most politicians.

Over the course of two meetings, Clinton spent more than three hours with the editorial board, answering questions in a direct and forthright manner. She exhibited an impressive command of the issues, though wed have liked to hear more from her on the debt and the future of Social Security. She was somewhat prickly and defensive when discussing her emails, but overall she was gracious, engaging and personable.

Her chief opponent for the nomination, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, has proven to be an honorable and formidable campaigner, and its very likely that without him in the race, candidates in both parties wouldnt be discussing Americas growing inequality in wealth and income.

Sanders has tapped into the publics anger and frustration with Washington, without demonizing government and resorting to the cheap demagoguery favored by Donald Trump and others. He has shown himself to be a man of courage and principle who has the ability to rally others to his cause.

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But Sanders admits that virtually all of his plans for reform have no chance of being approved by a Congress that bears any resemblance to the current crop of federal lawmakers. This is why, he says, voters cant simply elect him president, but must instead spark a political revolution.

Easier said than done. Congress has the largest Republican majority since the 71st Congress of 1929-31.

A successful Sanders presidency would hinge on his ability to remake Washington in his own image. Its almost inconceivable that such a transformation could take place, even with Democrats controlling both chambers of Congress.

As for Martin OMalley, the data-driven, wonkish former Maryland governor who has gained little traction in the campaign so far, he seems better suited to a Cabinet-level job in a Clinton White House.

In the final analysis, Iowa Democrats will have to choose between the lofty idealism of Bernie Sanders and the down-to-earth pragmatism of Hillary Clinton. For some, this will be a choice of whether to vote with their hearts or their heads.

Clinton has demonstrated that she is a thoughtful, hardworking public servant who has earned the respect of leaders at home and abroad. She stands ready to take on the most demanding job in the world.

David Chivers, president and publisher

Amalie Nash, executive editor and vice president for news and engagement

Lynn Hicks, opinion editor

Clark Kauffman, editorial writer

Andie Dominick, editorial writer

Brian Smith, engagement editor

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton talks about the issues she thinks make her the best choice for president. Rodney White/The Register

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Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton during a Des Moines Register editorial board interview denies that an FBI investigation found illegal connections between her familys foundation and her service as secretary of state. Rodney White/The Register

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Hillary Clinton talks about President Barack Obama's executive actions on gun control. Rodney White/The Register

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Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has the support of Sybrina Fulton, mother of the late Trayvon Martin, the teenager shot to death in 2012 Rodney White/The Register

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DREAMer Kenia Calderon, originally from El Salvador, asked Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton a question about immigration and deportations during Clinton's interview with The Des Moines Register editorial board.

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Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton explains her opposition to the Keystone Pipleine during her interview with The Des Moines Register editorial board.

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Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton talks about the popularity of political outsiders like Republican Donald Trump and what she has to do to win as an "establishment candidate."

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Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton talks about her view on Planned Parenthood during her interview with the Des Moines Register Editorial Board.

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Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton talks about transparency at the White House while addressing the issue of her private email server as secretary of state.

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Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton talks about her plan to keep the cost of college education down. The former secretary of state also explains how her plan differs from Bernie Sanders and why college shouldn't be free for everyone. Michael Zamora/The Register

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Full video: Hillary Clinton with the Register editorial board Rodney White/The Register

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Hillary Clinton on why she's the best choice

Clinton denies FBI investigation

Hillary Clinton on Obama gun control plan

Clinton on endorsement by Trayvon Martin's mother

DREAMer asks Clinton about immigration, deportation

Clinton explains her opposition to the Keystone Pipeline

Clinton on Trump and the rise of political outsiders

Clinton: I defend and I will continue to defend Planned Parenthood

Clinton on White House transparency, private email server

Clinton on the rising cost of college

Full video: Hillary Clinton with the Register editorial board

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