An unprecedented war of words erupted on Friday between former Secretary Hillary Clinton and Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard after Clinton floated a conspiracy theory claiming that the Russians are “grooming” Gabbard to be the third-party candidate in the presidential elections.
Hillary Clinton speaking at David Plouffe’s podcast, said that the Russians have “got their eye on somebody who’s currently in the Democratic primary and are grooming her to be the third party candidate”.
Hillary Clinton, who is herself a Democrat, said that Russia wanted the contender to run as a third-party candidate to divide liberal voters and help re-elect Donald Trump.
“I’m not making any predictions but I think they’ve got their eye on somebody who is currently in the Democratic primary and are grooming her to be the third-party candidate,” Clinton said, in an apparent reference to Gabbard.
“She’s the favourite of the Russians. They have a bunch of sites and bots and other ways of supporting her so far,” she told David Plouffe’s “Campaign HQ” podcast.
The show host Plouffe, a former aide to the ex-president Barack Obama, concluded the podcast by saying that Clinton’s “belief that Tulsi Gabbard is going to be a third-party candidate propped up by Trump and the Russians.”
Responding to Hillary Clinton’s tirade, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard on Friday slammed Hillary Clinton calling her as the ‘queen of warmongers’ and embodiment of corruption. Gabbard further bashed Clinton for waging a smear campaign against her because ‘she (Clinton) knows she can’t control me (Tulsi Gabbard)’.
https://twitter.com/TulsiGabbard/status/1185289626409406464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
“The reason why she’s doing this is that ultimately she knows she can’t control me. I stand against everything that she represents and she knows that. If I’m the Democratic nominee and elected president, she won’t be able to control me, she won’t be able to manipulate me,” said Gabbard.
Gabbard also alleged there has been a concerted campaign to destroy her reputation since she announced her presidential run in January. Gabbard tweeted asking Clinton to not hide cowardly behind her proxies and instead join the race directly.
https://twitter.com/TulsiGabbard/status/1185289629148291078?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Launching an attack on former Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, Gabbard accused Clinton of having “blood on her hands” because she championed several wars overseas.
“Thousands of my brothers and sisters in uniform were killed in Iraq, a war that she championed. Their blood is on her hands. That’s why she’s smearing my character and trying to undermine my campaign,” said Hawaii lawmaker Gabbard.
Read: Tulsi Gabbard, first Hindu to run for US president, slams media for maligning her for her religion
Gabbard said that Clinton’s remarks were not insulting just to her, but also to everyday Americans as well. “She’s sending a message out there to every veteran, everyone fighting at home, fighting for peace and calling for an end to these regime-change wars that you are also a Russian asset and a traitor to this country,” she said.
Congresswoman Gabbard from Hawaii has been under target by liberal media and Clinton’s supporters for her Hindu faith and beliefs. Recently she had called out CNN and NY Times for being biased against her in their coverage.