Hill.TV host Saagar Enjeti defended Tulsi Gabbard’s (D-Hawaii) lawsuit against Hillary Clinton, arguing that the 2020 contender “at least knows how to fight.”
“At first glance, that might seem kind of ridiculous, but is it?” Enjeti asked Thursday, referring to Gabbard’s lawsuit.
“Consider that Hillary’s accusation against Gabbard was printed largely without any pushback or repeated on every single major network in this country over a 24 hour period and written up in every major publication,” he added. “That’s millions of dollars of precious airtime dedicated to an outright lie.”
Gabbard announced Thursday that she filed a defamation lawsuit against Clinton, claiming that the former secretary of state tried to “destroy” her reputation by suggesting that she was a “Russian asset.”
The lawsuit centers on comments Clinton made on a podcast in October. Clinton said that she thought Republicans were “grooming” a Democratic presidential candidate for a third-party bid and that this candidate was a “favorite” of the Russians. Clinton did not name the candidate, but it was clear she was speaking about Gabbard.
“She’s the favorite of the Russians, they have a bunch of sites and bots and other ways of supporting her so far, and that’s assuming Jill Stein will give it up, which she might not, because she’s also a Russian asset. Yeah, she’s a Russian asset, I mean totally. They know they can’t win without a third-party candidate,” Clinton said.
Gabbard’s lawyers contend that Clinton’s comments “smeared” Gabbard’s “political and personal reputation.” The Hawaii congressman is now seeking more than $50 million in damages.
Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill responded to the lawsuit by saying, “That’s ridiculous.”
The latest exchange between Gabbard and Clinton comes as Gabbard continues to struggle to gain traction in the polls.
According to the RealClearPolitics national polling index, the congresswoman currently registers at less than 2 percent support. She also did not qualify for the last two Democratic primary debates.
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