Hawaii U.S. Rep. and Democratic presidential nominee Tulsi Gabbard went after Hillary Clinton Wednesday.
In a post on her website, under the heading, “Hillary, Acknowledge the Damage You’ve Caused,” Gabbard wrote:
“Hillary, your foreign policy was a disaster for our country and the world — resulting in the deaths and injuries of so many of my brothers and sisters in uniform, devastating entire countries, millions of lives lost, refugee crises, our enemy al-Qaeda/ISIS strengthened, increased Iranian and Russian influence in the region, Turkey emboldened, and exacerbated the problem of nuclear proliferation by overthrowing Gadhafi in Libya. Yet despite the damage you have done to our country and the world, you want to continue your failed policies directly or indirectly through the Democratic nominee.
“It’s time for you to acknowledge the damage you have caused and apologize for it. It is long past time for you to step down from your throne so the Democratic Party can lead with a new foreign policy which will actually be in the interests of and benefit the American people and the world.”
The dispute between the two women began last week when Clinton appeared to call Gabbard “the favorite of the Russians” in a recent interview and said she believes Republicans have “got their eye on somebody who’s currently in the Democratic primary and are grooming her to be the third-party candidate.” Clinton, the former senator, U.S. secretary of state and 2016 Democratic presidential candidate, did not name Gabbard directly.
In a series of tweets Friday, Gabbard called Clinton the “personification of the rot that has sickened the Democratic Party for so long.” Gabbard also alleged there has been a “concerted campaign” to destroy her reputation since she announced her presidential run in January.
“It’s now clear that this primary is between you and me,” Gabbard tweeted about Clinton. “Don’t cowardly hide behind your proxies. Join the race directly.”
During a Democratic presidential debate last Tuesday, Gabbard criticized a TV commentator who she said had called her “an asset of Russia.” She called the comments “completely despicable.”
Without naming Gabbard, Clinton seemed to echo the commentator’s remark during a podcast appearance on “Campaign HQ with David Plouffe.” Plouffe was campaign manager for President Barack Obama in 2008 and served as served as a senior adviser to the president.
“She’s the favorite of the Russians,” Clinton said, referring to the person she had earlier identified as a woman “who’s currently in the Democratic primary.” ”They have a bunch of sites and bots and other ways of supporting her so far.”
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The Associated Press and
The Garden Island
