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‘Some Of You Have Accused Me Of Being A Traitor’: Tulsi Gabbard Lays Into ‘The View’

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Virginia Kruta Associate Editor
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Democratic Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard pulled no punches Wednesday when she joined ABC’s “The View,” calling out the show’s hosts for suggesting she was a “traitor.”

Whoopi Goldberg introduced the 2020 presidential hopeful and attempted to begin the segment with a question about the recent testimony of U.S. Ambassador to the E.U. Gordon Sondland, but Gabbard was not having it.

Referencing Sondland’s recently-updated testimony, Goldberg turned to Gabbard and asked, “Were you surprised by what he did yesterday?”

“Well, look. The facts are important, and we’ll get to that. I want to start with something that I think is also important about facts because recently on your show here — some of you have accused me of being a traitor to my country, a Russian asset, a Trojan horse or —” Gabbard began.

“We haven’t accused you,” Joy Behar protested. (RELATED: ‘Tulsi Is Sort Of The Trojan Horse’: Sunny Hostin Is Glad Hillary Called Her A ‘Russian Asset’)

“‘Useful idiot’ I think is the term that you used,” Gabbard pushed back.

“That’s a Russian term. They used that,” Behar argued, in spite of the fact that on October 21 she had used that exact term to describe Gabbard. “I don’t say that Tulsi is an agent. I just think that she could be a useful idiot the way Trump is a useful idiot to the Russians,” she said.

“I want to let your viewers know exactly who I am,” Gabbard said, noting that the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center had inspired her to put on a uniform. “Set the record straight. I am a patriot. I love our country. I am a strong and intelligent woman of color, and I have dedicated almost my entire adult life to protecting the safety, the security and the freedom of all Americans in this country.”

“Well, I guess we’re getting a little bit far ahead of ourselves, but Franklin Graham finds uh-you refreshing,” Behar challenged Gabbard again. “He doesn’t find me refreshing. The white nationalist leader says he can vote for you. You were on ‘Tucker Carlson’ at least ten times. Why didn’t you go on Chris Wallace?”

“This is why I’m here. Because you and other people continue to spread these innuendos that have nothing to do with who I am,” Gabbard insisted.

“Well, Hillary Clinton started it,” Behar pushed back. “And then you shot back at her, boy. You called her the Queen of warmongers.”

“You doubled down — unfortunately you doubled down on the baseless accusations that she made that strikes at the core of who I am,” Gabbard replied. “I’m a soldier. Because of the attacks on 9/11, I enlisted in the military to go after and defeat and destroy the evil that visited us on that day.”

The show then cut to footage of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who referred to 2016 Green Party candidate Jill Stein as a “Russian asset” and hinted that the Russians were “grooming” Gabbard to be a potential third-party spoiler.

“Really?” Gabbard asked. “I mean, this is outrageous. This is outrageous, and offensive on so many levels.”