Democratic Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard confirmed Thursday that she had not been invited to participate in her own party’s convention.
The former presidential candidate — who endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden when she formally dropped out of the race — responded to someone who noted her absence on Twitter, saying, “Reminder : @TulsiGabbard was 1 of 7 candidates that earned delegates during the Presidential primary. It has been a tradition that spanned decades for any candidate who earned a delegate to be offered a speaking slot at the convention. Tulsi was not invited.”
“You’re correct – I was not invited to participate in any way,” Gabbard replied. (RELATED: Tulsi Gabbard Suspends Presidential Campaign And Announces Her Endorsement)
You’re correct – I was not invited to participate in any way. https://t.co/zQBOQB8Zw7
— Tulsi Gabbard ???? (@TulsiGabbard) August 20, 2020
CNN anchor Jake Tapper followed up on the situation, confirming with Gabbard that she had not been asked to participate. “She was not told why,” Tapper tweeted. “She’s currently on a plane headed to Alaska, on her way to an Army Reserve mission to help out a small Alaska Native tribe with some critical infrastructure issues.”
Rep @TulsiGabbard tells me she was not invited to participate in the convention in any way, she was not told why. She’s currently on a plane headed to Alaska, on her way to an Army Reserve mission to help out a small Alaska Native tribe with some critical infrastructure issues.
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) August 21, 2020
Earlier in the campaign, Gabbard had challenged the DNC to allow her to debate, arguing that arbitrary rule changes had kept her off the stage — and a sudden reversal of those rules had allowed former Republican New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.