Any rational person who listened to Hillary Clinton’s recent suggestion that Congresswoman and combat veteran Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) was a Russian plant in the 2020 election understood it to be the ramblings of a person unglued. But on Friday, CBS Evening News touted Clinton’s baseless smears by calling them “extraordinary” and “stunning”. But come Sunday, CBS had avoided the topic while ABC and NBC were pumping the brakes and, surprisingly, calling Clinton out.
“Now to an extraordinary development in the presidential campaign. Hillary Clinton, the 2016 nominee, called Tulsi Gabbard, one of the current candidates, quote, ‘the favorite of the Russians,’” gawked failing CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell.
CBS chief congressional correspondent Nancy Cordes called Clinton’s claim “stunning” while repeating the smear and seemingly trying to justify the accusation on Clinton’s behalf:
On a podcast interview, Clinton said, quote, "They're grooming her to be the third party candidate. She's the favorite of the Russians. They have a bunch of sites and bots other and ways of supporting her so far." Clinton was referring to the fact that the Hawaii congresswoman gets a lot of attention from Kremlin-linked media, just as Green Party candidate Jill Stein did back in 2016.
Cordes described Gabbard’s understandably angry response as the Congresswoman “lashed back” and “accusing Clinton of trying to ‘destroy’ her reputation and calling Clinton, quote, ‘The queen of warmongers, the embodiment of corruption, and personification of the rot that has sickened the Democratic Party for so long.’”
Possibly to keep such an accusation as a viable smear against President Trump, the liberal media put the kibosh on Hillary’s claim over the weekend. ABC even dragged out one of the media’s favorite little additives when talking about Trump. “Former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton without evidence suggesting Russian influence in the primary,” as Rachel Scott reported on Sunday’s Good Morning America.
Later that Sunday, on NBC’s Meet the Press, moderator Chuck Todd showed his disapproval whiling grilling South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg on what he thought about the comments:
CHUCK TODD: Before I let you go, I was curious if you had any reaction to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton implying that Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard might be a Russian asset.
MAYOR PETE BUTTIGIEG: What I’ll say is, I'm not going to get into their dispute. What I will say is we know right now—
TODD: Is that appropriate?
PUTTIGIEG: Well, I suppose when you become a private citizen you can say whatever you want. But--
TODD: I understand that, but she’s a sitting member of Congress. She served.
“I just wonder if you are comfortable at all—I mean, throw a charge out there making her deny it. That's a Trumpian move,” Todd lamented as Buttigieg avoided answering the questions. “So, you’re comfortable with Hillary Clinton's critique of Tulsi Gabbard and how she went about it?” Buttigieg eventually said he wasn’t comfortable with the claims.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
CBS Evening News
October 18, 2019
6:35:51 p.m. EasternNORAH O’DONNELL: Now to an extraordinary development in the presidential campaign. Hillary Clinton, the 2016 nominee, called Tulsi Gabbard, one of the current candidates, quote, "the favorite of the Russians." Nancy Cordes is following this. And, Nancy, what are we to make about all this?
NANCY CORDES: Well, Norah, Hillary Clinton did not mention Tulsi Gabbard by name, but an aide confirms that's that who she was talking about when she made this stunning claim, that the Russians had already hit on a way to meddle in the 2020 elections, much in the same way they meddled in her election in 2016.
On a podcast interview, Clinton said, quote, "They're grooming her to be the third party candidate. She's the favorite of the Russians. They have a bunch of sites and bots other and ways of supporting her so far." Clinton was referring to the fact that the Hawaii congresswoman gets a lot of attention from Kremlin-linked media, just as Green Party candidate Jill Stein did back in 2016.
This afternoon, Gabbard lashed back, accusing Clinton of trying to “destroy” her reputation and calling Clinton, quote, "The queen of warmongers, the embodiment of corruption, and personification of the rot that has sickened the Democratic Party for so long."
For now, most other Democrats are staying out of this fight. Gabbard, who is at one or two percent in most Democratic primary polls, has repeatedly said, Norah, that she does not plan to run as a third party candidate.
O’DONNELL: All right, Nancy, thank you.
NBC’s Meet the Press
October 20, 2019
11:12:02 a.m. Eastern(…)
CHUCK TODD: Before I let you go, I was curious if you had any reaction to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton implying that Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard might be a Russian asset.
MAYOR PETE BUTTIGIEG: What I’ll say is, I'm not going to get into their dispute. What I will say is we know right now—
TODD: Is that appropriate?
PUTTIGIEG: Well, I suppose when you become a private citizen you can say whatever you want. But--
TODD: I understand that, but she’s a sitting member of Congress. She served.
BUTTIGIEG: Well, I certainly honored her service. As we saw in the debate, I also have strong disagreements with her on topics like Syria. But the bigger issue here is Russia is working to interfere with our elections right now. And we know a big part of how they're going to do it is exploiting divisions among the American people, with their information operations. We've got to become a harder target and as president, I will make sure using all of our tools, diplomatic, economic, and security there is enough deterrence that Russia, or any country, would never again calculate that it is in their interest to mess with our democracy.
TODD: I just wonder if you are comfortable at all—I mean, throw a charge out there making her deny it. That's a Trumpian move.
BUTTIGIEG: Well, we got to focus on the task at hand right now. And that includes making sure that this presidency comes to an end. That is my focus. That and what happens after this presidency comes to an end.
TODD: So, you’re comfortable with Hillary Clinton's critique of Tulsi Gabbard and how she went about it?
BUTTIGIEG: No, I'm not. I'm also not getting in the middle of it because we as a party and as a country have to focus on the future.
(…)
