Now that President Trump's National Intelligence Director, Tulsi Gabbard, is exposing the depths of the Democrat deep state's disinformation operation against President Trump as a Russian agent as he entered office in 2021, it's worth noting that the operation had a lot of casualties on the way -- people who were smeared, often in the press at the explicit direction of the Obama White House -- one of whom was Gabbard herself.
Anyone recall how Hillary Clinton attempted to smear Gabbard herself as a "favorite of the Russians" and a "Russian asset"?
It led to backtracking in that Clinton later claimed that she was referring to 'Republicans' rather that Gabbard, but the damage was done, leading to this lawsuit from Gabbard in 2020:
Washington, DC – Tulsi Gabbard, a United States Congresswoman, Army National Guard Major, and 2020 presidential candidate, today filed a defamation lawsuit against Hillary Rodham Clinton. Gabbard, a U.S. Representative for Hawaii's 2nd congressional district, asserts in her complaint that Clinton deliberately and maliciously made false statements in an attempt to derail Rep. Gabbard's campaign, by alleging that Gabbard is a "Russian asset." The complaint was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York by Brian Dunne and Dan Terzian, Rep. Gabbard's legal counsel and partners at Pierce Bainbridge Beck Price & Hecht LLP.
Clinton was the 2016 Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States, United States Secretary of State from 2009 until 2013, a United States Senator for the State of New York from 2001 to 2009, and the First Lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001. On October 17, 2019, she publicly stated in an interview that "somebody who is currently in the Democratic primary ... [is a] favorite of the Russians... Yeah, she's a Russian asset." The press extensively republished and disseminated these statements, which were interpreted widely as Clinton asserting that Gabbard is a Russian asset.
After that, Gabbard dropped the case, probably for lack of funds, but asserting she believed in its merits nevertheless. Hillary's staff mocked her in Russian as a result.
According to CNN:
“Plaintiffs Tulsi Gabbard and Tulsi Now, Inc. dismiss this action,” Gabbard’s lawyers, Dan Terzian and Janice Roven, wrote in a court filing on Wednesday. “While they remain certain of the action’s legal merit, they are just as certain that this new COVID and post-COVID world require them to focus their time and attention on other priorities, including defeating Donald Trump in 2020, rather than righting the wrongs here.”
Terzian and Roven did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the voluntary dismissal. A spokesperson for Gabbard also did not respond to a request for comment.
“This was a publicity stunt through and through, and this filing makes that clear,” Nick Merrill, a spokesperson for Clinton, said in a written statement. He then included the phrase “good riddance” in Russian.
What was that about? They did seem to enjoy the line that Tulsi was a Russian asset, didn't they?
What it shows is the extent to which Hillary Clinton was willing to use her office as Secretary of State to promote her lie and smears, all to justify herself for losing the election, a victim of Russian manipulations.
Since I had good Kremlin-connected Russian sources as a regular journalist at the time, I can say for sure that the Russians actually believed Hillary would win the election no matter what and they were as surprised as anyone when she didn't in 2020. Their interference as a result, through social media, was tepid, mostly just low-budget pot-stirring, and nothing to do with any candidates.
It just shows how low Hillary was willing to go.
One can only wonder what she's thinking now as Gabbard exposes layer after layer of their deceptions.
Image: Screen shot from CBS News YouTube video // fair use