Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) has blasted Hillary Clinton in a savage tweet, accusing the former secretary of state of being the “queen of warmongers” and the “embodiment of corruption” before demanding that she stop “cowardly” hiding behind “proxies” and join the 2020 race directly.
Gabbard was responding to Hillary Clinton’s claim she is being groomed by the Trump campaign to be a third party candidate to assist in his reelection in 2020.
“Great! Thank you @HillaryClinton. You, the queen of warmongers, embodiment of corruption, and personification of the rot that has sickened the Democratic Party for so long, have finally come out from behind the curtain,” Gabbard said in an explosive tweet on Friday.
“From the day I announced my candidacy, there has been a concerted campaign to destroy my reputation,” Gabbard continued. “We wondered who was behind it and why. Now we know — it was always you, through your proxies and powerful allies in the corporate media and war machine, afraid of the threat I pose. It’s now clear that this primary is between you and me. Don’t cowardly hide behind your proxies. Join the race directly.”
Clinton suggested in a podcast released Friday that Gabbard is a favorite of the Russians.
“They are also going to do third party again,” said Clinton, the failed Democratic nominee against President Trump in 2016. “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, referring to the Trump campaign. A Clinton representative later confirmed that she was referring to Gabbard.
“She is a favorite of the Russians. They have a bunch of sites and bots and ways of supporting her so far. That’s assuming Jill Stein will give it up, which she might not because she is also a Russian asset,” Clinton said. “They know they can’t win without a third-party candidate, and so I do not know who it is going to be, but I can guarantee you they will have a vigorous third-party challenge in the key states that they most need it.“
Gabbard said in August that she would not run for president as a third-party candidate or independent if she does not win the Democratic presidential nomination.