CHARLESTOWN, New Hampshire — Rep. Tulsi Gabbard addressed her $50 million defamation lawsuit against Hillary Clinton by warning she would not stand for incorrect representations of her character.
The remarks came in response to an attendee at a campaign town hall in Charlestown, New Hampshire, who asked the Hawaii Democrat why the former secretary of state called her a “Russian asset.” Gabbard, 38, responded that he would have to ask Clinton.
“And, look, I will not stand quietly by as Hillary Clinton or anyone else tries to smear my character and my loyalty and dedication to serving our country,” Gabbard said in her first public comments about the case since news of it broke. “And I’ve filed a lawsuit against her for that defamation,” she added. Her answer earned applause from the crowd of roughly 50 people in the crowd.
Gabbard declined to elaborate on any more details of the complaint, directing reporters to the details of the lawsuit.
“I love our country, I’ve dedicated my life in service of protecting the safety and security of the American people, put my life on the line for our country with my 17 years, almost 17 years of service as a solider, the Army National Guard, and served my country in Congress now for seven-going-on-eight years,” Gabbard said. “The lawsuit that I filed is to hold her accountable for those defamatory statements that she made.”
On Wednesday, Gabbard filed a complaint against Clinton for defamation, claiming that Clinton’s 2019 comments harmed her political ambitions. During a podcast in October, Clinton claimed Gabbard was a “Russian asset” and that the Kremlin was pushing her presidential bid to ensure President Trump’s reelection.
“They are also going to do third party again, and I’m not making any predictions, but I think they got their eye on somebody who is currently in the Democratic primary and are grooming her to be the third-party candidate,” Clinton said, before calling 2016 Green Party candidate Jill Stein a “Russian asset,” as well.
Gabbard swiftly responded to Clinton by calling her “the queen of warmongers, embodiment of corruption, and personification of the rot that has sickened the Democratic Party for so long.”
Facing backlash, Clinton claimed she meant the GOP was “grooming Tulsi, not Russia.” Unsatisfied with the explanation, Gabbard’s attorneys demanded that Clinton retract her statements in a November letter.
Despite her aggressive push in New Hampshire, Gabbard still remains a distant sixth place in the state. A RealClearPolitics average of polls shows her with 4.5% support.
