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Tulsi Gabbard Lashes Back at Hillary Clinton After Claim of Russian Influence Tulsi Gabbard Lashes Back at Hillary Clinton After Claim of Russian Influence
(about 7 hours later)
Hillary Clinton waded into the Democratic primary on Friday by suggesting that Russia was “grooming” Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii as a third-party candidate for president. Hillary Clinton waded into the Democratic primary on Friday by suggesting that Russia was backing Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii for president and that Republicans were “grooming” her as a third-party candidate.
In response, Ms. Gabbard lashed out late in the afternoon with an extraordinary series of tweets in which she called Mrs. Clinton “the queen of warmongers, embodiment of corruption, and personification of the rot that has sickened the Democratic Party for so long.”In response, Ms. Gabbard lashed out late in the afternoon with an extraordinary series of tweets in which she called Mrs. Clinton “the queen of warmongers, embodiment of corruption, and personification of the rot that has sickened the Democratic Party for so long.”
Nick Merrill, a spokesman for Mrs. Clinton, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Ms. Gabbard has said in the past that she will not run as a third-party candidate, and she repeated that in an interview with NBC on Friday night.
On Twitter, he mocked Ms. Gabbard by referencing President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, whom Ms. Gabbard has defended. Mrs. Clinton made her allegation on “Campaign HQ,” a podcast hosted by David Plouffe, a former aide to President Barack Obama.
Ms. Gabbard is averaging less than 1 percent in the polls but qualified for this week’s Democratic debate, where she promoted her noninterventionist foreign policy platform and attacked the news media for what she said was bias against her.
Mrs. Clinton made her initial allegation on a podcast hosted by David Plouffe, a former aide to President Barack Obama.
“I’m not making any predictions,” she said, “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. They have a bunch of sites and bots and other ways of supporting her so far.”“I’m not making any predictions,” she said, “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. They have a bunch of sites and bots and other ways of supporting her so far.”
She did not name Ms. Gabbard in that interview, but her target was clear. Asked to confirm that Mrs. Clinton had been referring to Ms. Gabbard, Mr. Merrill told NBC News, “If the nesting doll fits. …” She did not name Ms. Gabbard in that interview, but her target was clear. Nick Merrill, a spokesman for Mrs. Clinton, told NBC News, “if the nesting doll fits,” when he was asked to confirm that Mrs. Clinton had been referring to Ms. Gabbard.
Disinformation experts have noted frequent mentions of Ms. Gabbard by RT, the Kremlin-backed news agency, and apparent Twitter bot activity amplifying pro-Gabbard messages and hashtags.Disinformation experts have noted frequent mentions of Ms. Gabbard by RT, the Kremlin-backed news agency, and apparent Twitter bot activity amplifying pro-Gabbard messages and hashtags.
Mr. Merrill said late Friday evening that Mrs. Clinton’s initial “grooming” claim had referred to Republicans, not Russia, as initially reported. Mrs. Clinton then brought up Russia in the podcast interview, saying Ms. Gabbard was the Kremlin’s preferred candidate.
Mr. Merrill told CNN earlier in the day: “If the Russian propaganda machine, both their state media and their bot and troll operations, is backing a candidate aligned with their interests, that is just a reality. It is not speculation.”
On Twitter, Mr. Merrill mocked Ms. Gabbard by referencing President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, whom Ms. Gabbard has defended.
Ms. Gabbard is averaging less than 1 percent in the polls but qualified for this week’s Democratic debate, where she promoted her noninterventionist foreign policy platform and attacked the news media for what she said was bias against her.