Mike Norris, Co-Editor, The American Dossier
History is full of contentious fights between candidates running for office: Lincoln versus Douglas, Roosevelt versus Taft, Clinton versus Bush, Bush versus Gore. The common thread between those confrontations, however, is that they all were between candidates running for office.
The 2020 Democratic Primary, featuring 19 candidates, is no different. In June, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) confronted Vice President Joe Biden about having worked with segregationists in the Senate. In September, Secretary Julian Castro called out Joe Biden’s age.
This week, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) faced her first sustained attack of the 2020 cycle. Interestingly, the attack came not from one of the other 18 Democrats running against Gabbard, but from the 2016 Democratic nominee.
The bad blood between Hillary Clinton and Gabbard dates to 2016, when Gabbard quit her post as a Democratic National Committee vice chair so that she could endorse Clinton’s primary opponent, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT).
The latest incident began when Clinton appeared on “Campaign HQ,” a podcast hosted by David Plouffe, a former adviser to President Obama. Clinton suggested that Gabbard is being used by the Russians, who are plotting a third party run to siphon votes from the eventual Democratic nominee.
“I’m not making any predictions,” Clinton said, “but I think [the Russians] have got their eye on someone who’s 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.”
Clinton also accused Green Party nominee Jill Stein of being a tool of the Russians. “Yes, she’s a Russian asset, I mean, totally,” Clinton said. “They know they can’t win without a third-party candidate.”
It is a topic that Clinton is sensitive about, as she continues to blame Russian election interference and Stein for her 2016 loss to Donald Trump.
Clinton never used Gabbard’s name, but there are only five women running for President -- Gabbard, Harris, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and author Marianne Williamson -- and none of the other women have been accused of being backed by Russia.
When asked if Clinton was referring to Gabbard, the Clinton aide Nick Merrill said, “If the nesting doll fits …”
Clinton did not provide evidence about how Russia is "grooming" Gabbard. She and her team pointed to allegations that Russian news and propaganda sites often report on Gabbard's campaign and that Gabbard's social media posts have been amplified by trolls and bots on Twitter with ties to Russia.
Gabbard has denied those allegations. A Major in the Hawaii Army National Guard, Gabbard is the first female combat veteran to run for president, having served as a combat medic in Iraq and as counter-terrorism trainer in Kuwait.
Gabbard has also repeatedly ruled out running as a third-party candidate.
In a scathing response to Clinton, Gabbard tweeted: "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. From the day I announced my candidacy, there has been a concerted campaign to destroy my reputation. We wondered who was behind it and why.”
Gabbard added: "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."
Stein also spoke out in response to Clinton’s claim she was a Russian asset.
"It's a shame HRC is peddling conspiracy theories to justify her failure instead of reflecting on real reasons Dems lost in 2016," Stein tweeted. "You can slander progressives as 'Russian assets', but you can't hide the fact that the DNC sabotaged Sanders & elevated Trump to set the stage for HRC."
Clinton's comments drew criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike.
Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D-South Bend, IN) said: “Statements like that ought to be backed by evidence.” “I don’t know what the basis is for that. I consider [Gabbard] a competitor. I respect her service…”
Entrepreneur Andrew Yang tweeted that Gabbard “deserves much more respect and thanks than this.”
Author Marianne Williamson accused the Democratic establishment of “smearing women it finds inconvenient.” “The character assassination of women who don’t toe the party line will backfire. Stay strong @TulsiGabbard. You deserve respect and you have mine,” Williamson tweeted.
President Trump also weighed in on the dispute: "So now Crooked Hillary is at it again! She is calling Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard 'a Russian favorite,' and Jill Stein 'a Russian asset.'
"As you may have heard, I was called a big Russia lover also (actually, I do like Russian people. I like all people!). Hillary's gone Crazy!"
After serving as an Airborne Infantryman in the 82nd Airborne Division, Mike attended Florida State University, where he received his Bachelors Degree in Political Science and George Washington University, where he received his Masters in Political Management. Mike is currently attending the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, where he is pursuing his Juris Doctorate.
Since 2004, Mike has worked in the Florida Senate, where he was one of only two Chief’s of Staff under 30 and in the Michigan Senate, where he served as the Legislative Aide to the Assistant Minority Floor Leader. The 2018 election cycle was Mike’s eighth as a Political Consultant.
Mike previously served as the Secretary and Vice President of the Tampa Bay Young Republicans, Regional Vice Chair for the Florida Federated Young Republicans and attended the 2012 Republican National Convention as an Alternate Delegate. He currently lives in Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan, with his rescue Pit Bull, Ike.