Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton took a veiled shot at Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) on Friday, alleging the congresswoman was being groomed by Russia to be a third-party candidate in 2020.
The failed 2016 Democrat nominee, who has accused President Donald Trump of being Russia’s “puppet” in the past, made the remarks during an interview on David Plouffe’s Campaign HQ podcast, while discussing Russian interference. Clinton suggested during the exchange that Russian President Vladimir Putin was grooming a stalking horse candidate to ensure Trump would be reelected.
“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. “She’s the favorite of the Russians.”
Clinton also added she believed Jill Stein, the likely Green Party nominee for president, is a “Russian asset.”
Ken Thomas ✔@KThomasDC"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. She's the favorite of the Russians," Hillary Clinton to @davidplouffe http://bit.ly/32sW4gn
https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1185189431155875841/MijO8cMo?format=jpg&name=144x144_2); background-size: cover;">Campaign HQ with David Plouffe - Hillary Clinton
Impeachment. Facing Trump. Debates. No one has a more unique perspective on these ripe topics than Hillary Clinton. Hear her take on these issues and the 2020 election.
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Although Clinton did not mention the candidate by name, many on social media interpreted the statement to be an attack on Gabbard.
Johnny Verhovek ✔@JTHVerhovek.@HillaryClinton with a not-so-veiled shot at @TulsiGabbard, says she's being groomed to be a 3rd-party candidate and calls her a "favorite of the Russians" https://twitter.com/KThomasDC/status/1185189428962234374 …
Ken Thomas ✔@KThomasDC"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. She's the favorite of the Russians," Hillary Clinton to @davidplouffe http://bit.ly/32sW4gn
Aaron Blake ✔@AaronBlakeHillary Clinton doesn't just predict the Russians will support Tulsi Gabbard as a third-party candidate; she also calls Jill Stein "a Russian asset -- I mean totally."
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Even prior to announcing her presidential bid, Gabbard stood apart from the rest of the Democrat field for her willingness to challenge the party’s foreign policy status quo, especially when it comes to regime change.
Such independence has not, however, engendered praise for the congresswoman on the left. Instead, many have attempted to smear Gabbard as both an “extremist” and “apologist” for dictators, the latter resulting in her refusal to condemn Syria’s strongman Bashar al-Assad.
In particular, the New York Times ran a piece on the congresswoman earlier this week, painting her as a right wing extremist.
“Then there is 4chan, the notoriously toxic online message board, where some right-wing trolls and anti-Semites fawn over Ms. Gabbard, calling her ‘Mommy’ and praising her willingness to criticize Israel,” the Times wrote. “In April, the Daily Stormer, a neo-Nazi website, took credit for Ms. Gabbard’s qualification for the first two Democratic primary debates.”
Gabbard addressed such smears as “completely despicable” during the Democrat presidential primary debate on Tuesday in Ohio.
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