Speaking directly to the camera in a video message posted on social media on Sunday, 2020 presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard suggested that Hillary Clinton recently "smeared" her as a "Russian asset" as payback for Gabbard's defiance of the party establishment in 2016.
"If they can falsely portray me as a traitor, then they can do it to anyone -- and in fact, that's exactly the message they want to get across to you," Gabbard, a Democrat, said in the video.
"If you stand up to Hillary and the party power brokers -- if you stand up to the rich and powerful elite and the war machine, they will destroy you and discredit your message. But, here is the truth: They will not intimidate us. They will not silence us."
The post ratcheted up an already escalating feud that has rocked the presidential primary. Several candidates, including Beto O'Rourke, Andrew Yang and Marianne Williamson, have criticized Clinton's unfounded suggestion that Russians have been "grooming" Gabbard to be a third-party spoiler in the race.
Gabbardstarted the video by referencing her time as the vice chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) from 2013 to 2016 -- before she quit and threw her support behind Bernie Sanders. At the time, Gabbard accused party leaders of stifling her freedom of speech and unfairly tipping the scales in favor of eventual nominee Hillary Clinton.
"People warned me in 2016 that my endorsement of Bernie Sanders would be the end of my 'political career' -- they said Clinton would never forget," Gabbard said in the video, "that she and her rich and powerful friends -- her allies in politics and the media -- will make sure you're destroyed."
At last week's New York Times-CNN primary debate, Gabbard specifically called out the Times and CNN for waging what she called a propaganda campaign against her, while also promoting endless "regime-change" wars.
"The New York Times and CNN have smeared veterans like myself for calling for an end to this regime-change war," Gabbard said. "Just two days ago, The New York Times put out an article saying I'm a Russian asset and an Assad apologist, and all these different smears. This morning, a CNN commentator said on national television that I'm an asset of Russia. Completely despicable."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/tul...rs-endorsement
CNN political commentator Van Jones echoed Gabbard's argument on-air, and called out Clinton's "disinformation" -- saying "she just came out against a sitting U.S. congresswoman, a decorated war veteran, and someone who's running for the nomination of our party, with just a complete smear and no facts."
Jones continued: "This is a very, very dangerous game -- and there's a backstory here. Let's not forget: Tulsi Gabbard was picked out by the Democratic Party establishment and put at the top of the DNC, and they thought she was going to be their golden girl. And, she got in that position in the DNC, and she looked around, and she saw [then-DNC Chairwoman] Debbie Wasserman-Schultz and other people, Clinton allies, doing stuff they shouldn't have been doing in the primary.
"And, Tulsi publicly quit, and then endorsed Bernie Sanders, and it's been payback hell ever since," Jones said.
The brouhaha began in a podcast with former Obama adviser David Plouffe, when Clinton said she wasn't "making any predictions, but [she thinks Russians] have got their eye on somebody who is currently in the Democratic primary and are grooming her to be the third-party candidate."
"She's the favorite of the Russians" she added, saying they "have a bunch of sites and bots and other ways of supporting her so far."
Clinton described 2016 Green Party candidate Jill Stein as a “Russian asset," but didn't explicitly name Gabbard. Then, when Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill was asked if Clinton was referring to Gabbard, he responded: “If the nesting doll fits
That prompted Gabbard to respond forcefully to Clinton on Twitter Friday, calling her the "queen of warmongers, embodiment of corruption, and personification of the rot that has sickened the Democratic Party!"
Gabbard, speaking to Fox News' "Tucker Carlson Tonight," accused Clinton of targeting her for her anti-war and anti-establishment views. Gabbard has dared Clinton to enter the race, rather than hide behind "proxies."
In response, several journalists and analysts openly sided with Clinton -- with The Week declaring Gabbard's comments "outrageous."
Two MSNBC panelists even asserted that Gabbard somehow had outed herself as a "Russian asset" by responding to Clinton's accusations at all.
Refreshing. Trump stood up to the republican neocon war machine establishment , who never really did anything for the vast majority of it's constituents, by speaking his mind. I clearly remember him saying something to the effect during the primaries, "I can say these things because I don't care," and he was loudly applauded.
It would be nice to see dim voters finally do the same with the corrupt DNC. But I doubt they will. As a group they tend to be spineless and feckless, too infected with TDS to see the forest through the trees.
Bigdog (10-20-2019), Darth Omar (10-20-2019), dukkha (10-20-2019), Sailor (10-20-2019)
Yup. Zero tolerance in team donkey. They run a strict plantation.
"Those who vote decide nothing. Those who count the vote decide everything." Joseph Stalin
The USA has lost WWIV to China with no other weapons but China Virus and some cash to buy democrats.
anonymoose (10-20-2019), Bigdog (10-20-2019)
This is getting beautiful, now we got Trumpkin's still plagued three years later by their Hillary obsession attacking the very foreign policy that they fully endorsed and defended only a decade ago
Nobody cares about Hillary, well, other than Trumpkins, and it is funny watching those who argued the WMD line now disavowing such
anonymoose (10-20-2019), Bigdog (10-20-2019), dukkha (10-20-2019)
Has anyone else noticed hrc hasn't said a word re: Tulsi since Tulsi's tweet?
Finally, someone who's been able to get hrc to STFU. Dims should be thanking Tulsi.
Bigdog (10-20-2019), dukkha (10-20-2019), Sailor (10-20-2019), USFREEDOM911 (10-20-2019)
Bigdog (10-20-2019)
Bigdog (10-20-2019)
Bigdog (10-20-2019)
Uh, maybe they learned?
Oh it's quite apparent most of the fake media and corporatists do, attacking Tulsi and siding with hrc. Just go to the democraticunderground.com echo chamber. ,And it's equally funny watching socialist/progs endorsing endless, perpetual war and nation building.
War wagon? Questioning why Trump would abandon American allies to please an autocrat is "jumping on the war wagon?" And then all he did was relocate those troops to neighboring Iraq along with sending thousands of additional troops to Saudi Arabia, and Democrats are "jumping on the war wagon?"
Why would I vote for someone who is not running and has been pretty much irrelevant for close to three years now?
Coup has started. First of many steps. Impeachment will follow ultimately~WB attorney Mark Zaid, January 2017
Darth Omar (10-20-2019), dukkha (10-20-2019)
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