Tulsi Gabbard fights back: Hillary Clinton "knows she can't control me"

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) responded to Hillary Clinton's suggestion that she is Russia's "favorite" 2020 candidate, by saying Clinton was attempting to "undermine" her campaign, and that she "knows she can't control me," reports CBS.

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"This is a message to every veteran in the country who has put their life on the line to serve our country, to every single American who believes strongly that we must end this long-standing foreign policy of being the world's police and ending these regime-changing wars, which is the legacy of Hillary Clinton, then we are traitors to that nation that we love."

Tulsi Gabbard, CBS interview

• She added that she has no intention of running as a third-party candidate as Clinton alluded.

What they're saying: "I believe it's true. Tulsi Gabbard is with the Russians and the Russians are with Tulsi Gabbard. She confirms it every time she opens her mouth," former CIA operations officer and GOP policy director Evan McMullin tweeted.

Why it matters: A feud with Clinton could push Gabbard's campaign into the spotlight and increase her name recognition, as more than a dozen Democratic candidates remain in the 2020 race.

The big picture, per Axios' Marisa Fernandez: Gabbard's foreign policy stances significantly differ from other top Democratic candidates, especially on Syria. She has controversially defended Syrian dictator, Bashar al-Assad, and met with him on a secret trip to Syria in 2017.

• The New York Times reported that alt-right internet stars, white nationalists and Russians have praised Gabbard's campaign.
• At this week's Democratic debate, Gabbard condemned the news media, saying it was "completely despicable" to call her an asset to Russia.

Go deeper:

• Hillary Clinton implies Tulsi Gabbard is "the favorite of the Russians" in 2020
• Tulsi Gabbard on the issues, in under 500 words