Hillary Clinton says she believes that the Russians have “got their eye on somebody who’s currently in the Democratic primary and are grooming her to be the third-party candidate.”
In a recent interview, Clinton didn’t mention Democratic presidential candidate Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii by name, but said she believes one candidate is “the favorite of the Russians.” Some Democrats and critics have called Gabbard a Russian asset, which she blasted as “completely despicable” at this week’s debate.
Gabbard also has defended Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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Asked if the former secretary of state was referring to Gabbard, Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill said, “If the nesting doll fits…”
“She’s the favorite of the Russians,” Clinton said of the candidate she had in mind during a podcast appearance on “Campaign HQ” with David Plouffe, “and that’s assuming Jill Stein will give it up, which she might not because she’s also a Russian asset. She’s a Russian asset! I mean, totally. They know they can’t win without a third-party candidate.”
The Mueller report and congressional investigations have shown that Russia’s interference in the 2016 election included bolstering Green Party candidate Stein’s third-party run.
Gabbard’s campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Gabbard has said she has no plans for a third-party run.
Merrill said Clinton’s comments are not “some outlandish claim. This is reality. 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.”
An NBC News analysis in February showed Russian news sites and social media linked to the Kremlin were promoting Gabbard’s candidacy in the run-up to her campaign announcement. That activity has continued in the months since, The New York Times reported this week.
Gabbard, who resigned as Democratic National Committee vice chair to endorse Bernie Sanders’ presidential run in 2016, took some digs at Clinton in Tuesday’s Democratic presidential primary debate in Ohio.
“I agree with Hillary Clinton on one thing, disagree with her on many others,” Gabbard said at one point. She also referred to Clinton’s line about President Donald Trump being supported by a “basket of deplorables,” saying: “When I look at our country, I don’t see deplorables. I see fellow Americans, people who I treat with respect, even when we disagree and when we disagree strongly.”
Associated Press contributed.
