Tulsi Gabbard

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Tulsi Gabbard
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Tulsi Gabbard (1981–) is an American politician, pro-Putin propagandist,[1][2] unabashed grifter, and from 2013 to 2021, was one of two Congressional Representatives from Hawaii. She was always pretty centrist, big on guns and welfare programs for native Hawaiians. Then she jumped headfirst into the culture wars, teaming up with Matt Walsh and frothing at the mouth about girldick.[3] It’s amazing what can happen to someone’s views as soon as they have different financiers.[4][5] Once she became a de facto GOPer, she endorsed a number of Republican candidates in that year's midterm elections,[6] including candidates who continue to shamelessly claim that the 2020 presidential election was "stolen" from Trump by the deep state,[7] among them Republican Don BolducWikipedia in the New Hampshire Senate race as well as Kari Lake.Wikipedia[8]

Uncle Ruckus at it again[edit]

Gabbard is of European and Samoan ancestry. She was the youngest woman to be elected to a U.S. state legislature, serving in the Hawaii House of Representatives from 2002 to 2004. Directly following this, she served in an Iraq combat zone from 2004 to 2005, and was later deployed to Kuwait from 2008 to 2009.

In Congress[edit]

Gabbard was elected to represent Hawaii's 2nd congressional district in 2013, succeeding Mazie Hirono after she was elected to the Senate.[9] Gabbard was the first Hindu to serve in Congress. She was the vice-chair of the Democratic National Committee from 2013 until 2016, when she resigned to endorse Bernie Sanders for President. She was a relatively moderate Democrat[10][11][12] in a heavily left-leaning district, and her support for Sanders was a convenient way to counter a primary challenger from the left.[13] As a result, her reputation as a progressive was quickly called into question.[14] By 2020, it was essentially destroyed.

It would, perhaps, be instructive to review a variety of voices that have, in the past, praised Ms Gabbard. Steve Bannon, President Trump’s former chief strategist, expressed admiration for her political talent. Mr. Bannon is a former chair of Breitbart News L.L.C., the parent Company of Breitbart News, which he declared "the platform of the alt-right."[15] Richard B. Spencer and David Duke, the white nationalist leader and former KKK leader, endorsed her candidacy.[16] Former Representative Ron Paul, whose son Senator Rand Paul has inherited his father's seat at the libertarian crazy car, praised her “libertarian instincts,”[17] and wingnut evangelist Franklin Graham is a fanboy.[18]

She announced on January 11, 2019 that she was running for President of the United States in 2020.[19] In March 2020, Gabbard ended her campaign (after winning no contests and remaining in the single digits for polling) — while Bernie Sanders, whom she ostensibly supported in 2016, was still running his campaign — and endorsed Joe Biden[20] (whom she would later compare to Adolf Hitler).[21] Before then, she announced that she would not seek reelection to the House of Representatives.

After Congress[edit]

In October 2022, she posted a video to Twitter announcing that she had officially left the Democratic Party, stating that the party was an "elitist cabal of warmongers" and registering as an Independent.[22] Despite her status as an Independent, however, she then immediately went on to endorse several far-right Republican candidates in that year's elections, including Don Bolduc,[23] who supported having the CIA fight the Russians in Ukraine.[24] But then it’s like she almost realized she could make more money grifting as a pathetic 'pick me' and all of her opinions changed overnight. Weird.

On the issues[edit]

Gabbard opposes the Trans-Pacific Partnership, calls for a restoration of the Glass-Steagall banking regulations, wants to stop mass surveillance of Americans by repealing the PATRIOT Act, supports raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour,[25] and favors single-payer healthcare like many Democrats after the passage of Obamacare.[26] She supports marijuana legalization.[27]

In 2014, Gabbard said she was "conflicted" on the CIA's use of torture, saying that the "debate carries on" as to whether torture leads to accurate intelligence, and although she would not like to see any person being treated inhumanely she would do everything in her power to keep Americans safe in a ticking time bomb scenario.[28]

Gabbard supports "sensible"[29] gun control.[30]

Gabbard's base of support comes from Indian expatriates, many of whom are BJP sympathizers or supporters. She's networked with plenty of them.[31] She thinks that it is important to identify the enemy by using the phrase "radical Islamist terrorism."[32] She has recently moved much further to the right, for instance comparing the vague concept of "cancel culture" to ISIS and Al-Qaeda.[33]

Gay rights[edit]

To try to act as if there is a difference between 'civil unions' and same-sex marriage is dishonest, cowardly and extremely disrespectful to the people of Hawaii who have already made overwhelmingly clear our position on this issue… As Democrats we should be representing the views of the people, not a small number of homosexual extremists.
—Tulsi Gabbard in 2004.[34][35]

Her record on LGBT issues is poor.[36] The Gabbards started in politics as homophobic activists.[37] In 2016, the Hawaii Democratic Party's LGBT Caucus issued strong support for Gabbard's primary opponent, Shay Chan Hodges.[36] A decade earlier, Gabbard was an anti-abortion opponent of same-sex marriage, just like her Republican father, Mike Gabbard. In her early 20s, Gabbard protested against a bill that would have legalized civil unions for same-sex couples and delivered a speech in the Hawaii State House against a resolution that was meant to target homophobic bullying in public schools.[38] Gabbard objected to teaching students that homosexuality is "normal and natural" and worried the resolution would be "inviting homosexual-advocacy organizations into our schools to promote their agenda to our vulnerable youth."[38]

When Honolulu magazine emailed Gabbard's father to clarify his former relationship with Chris Butler's Hare Krishna group, Tulsi Gabbard responded "it’s clear to me that you’re acting as a conduit for The Honolulu Weekly and other homosexual extremist supporters of Ed Case."Wikipedia[37] Despite being followers of Siddhaswarupananda Paramahamsa (a.k.a. Chris Butler), whose cult was founded after breaking away from the Hare Krishnas,[39] Mike Gabbard publicly claims to be Catholic while Tulsi Gabbard identifies as Hindu.[40] He and Tulsi Gabbard have been running a nonprofit called Stand Up for America, with the mission of promoting patriotism and unity of the US.[41]

To her credit, Gabbard later apologised and said her "views have changed significantly since then."[42] By 2017, she had a 100% rating from the Human Rights Campaign.[note 1] While she rebuffed a 2013 offer for a meeting with the Hawaiian LGBT Caucus, she was a member of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus.[42] Gabbard herself once cited her time in the military, seeing the dangers of theocratic rule, that made her change her mind on her public position on marriage equality.[36] But alas, she would later reveal her views hadn't changed much after all.

Trans rights[edit]

In December 2020, Gabbard introduced a bill that would "clarify Title IX protections to be based on biological sex," meaning transgender athletes would effectively be barred from participating in women's sports.[43] In 2022, she spoke at an anti-trans rally hosted by Matt Walsh.[3]

Foreign policy[edit]

In short, when it comes to the war against terrorists, I'm a hawk. When it comes to counterproductive wars of regime change, I'm a dove.
—Gabbard in 2016.[44]

Gabbard's perspective on war is that it is terrible but sometimes necessary:

Kim Iversen: You definitely feel strongly about sending our troops off to battle for regime change wars.
Gabbard: Yeah.
Iversen: That it’s clearly an unnecessary cost, often of which is their life. Are you against all wars?
Gabbard: Look, wars are terrible. Unfortunately they are sometimes necessary to keep our people safe. This is the reality of the world that we live in and we have to look at this world as it exists rather than try to exist in a world that doesn't. So the reality is that there are those that seek to do us harm. Unfortunately war is sometimes necessary.[45]

Gabbard voted for the Iran nuclear deal, albeit while still being critical of Iran.[46] She opposes allowing the US to go to war with Iran without explicit congressional authorization. She opposes the US military support for Saudi Arabia's intervention in Yemen.[47] She also said the US has to stand up for Israel, whom she considers to be America's strongest ally.[48] She opposes the Boycott, Divestment and SanctionsWikipedia (BDS) campaign against Israel's occupation of Palestine and cosponsored a bill establishing support for an independent 'demilitarized' Palestinian state without the ability to raise a military force for its defense.[49]

In a 2015 press release, Gabbard was quoted saying that Egypt's Abdel Fattah el-SisiWikipedia had shown "great courage and leadership" in taking on "extreme Islamist ideology".[50] Gabbard has also described India's Narendra ModiWikipedia as "a leader whose example and dedication to the people he serves should be an inspiration to elected officials everywhere."[31]

Syria[edit]

In 2015, Gabbard criticised the United States for not bombing al-Qaeda in Syria and said it was "mind-boggling" to protest Russia's military intervention.Wikipedia[51] Gabbard was also in favour of directly supporting and arming Kurdish fighters in Syria and Iraq.[52] Gabbard voted to add extra investigation of Syrian and Iraqi refugees coming into into the US, even though the screening process already took between 1.5 and 3 years.[53][54] This would essentially block Syrian and Iraqi refugees from resettling in the United States.[55]

In March 2016, Gabbard was one of only three members of Congress, and the only Democrat, to vote against a resolution condemning violence against civilians by Assad's forces.[56] In January 2017, she went to Damascus and got wined and dined by the regime.[57][58][59][60] Democratic leaders in Congress were not notified of the trip in advance.[55][57] While she has called Assad a "brutal dictator",[61] she does not believe he is an enemy of the United States.[62] She has stated that Syria "would be in a far worse situation if al-Qaida took charge" and is therefore against a regime-change war.[63]

In a press release following the 2017 Khan Shaykhun chemical attackWikipedia and Shayrat missile strike,Wikipedia Gabbard stated:

If President Assad is indeed guilty of this horrible chemical attack on innocent civilians, I will be the first to call for his prosecution and execution by the International Criminal Court.[64]

She made similar comments on CNN, adding that she would call Assad a war criminal if he were found responsible after an independent investigation:

If President Assad is found to be responsible after an independent investigation for these horrific chemical weapons attacks, I'll be the first one to denounce him, to call him a war criminal, and to call for his prosecution in the International Criminal Court.[65]

After an investigation, the OPCW-UN Joint Investigative MechanismWikipedia[note 2] confirmed Assad's forces were responsible for the Khan Shaykhun attack.[66] However, rather than calling for Assad's "prosecution and execution", according to Gabbard's official website, her position is that "there is evidence to suggest that the attacks [in Khan Shaykhun and Douma] may have been staged by opposition forces".[67] Both attacks occurred after her visit with Assad.

Her website also states that "there is evidence that both the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad as well as the armed opposition groups aligned against him have used chemical weapons (CW) during the Syrian war",[67] apparently in reference to previous chemical attacks. The evidence shows that Assad's regime carried out almost all — 98 percent — of the chemical weapon attacks.[68] As a guest on The View, Gabbard said "there is no disputing the fact that [Assad] has used chemical weapons and other weapons against his people."[69] Despite this, she has refused to say Assad is a war criminal:

Questioner: Do you remain skeptical, as you were in 2017, that Bashar al-Assad used chemical warfare against Syrian civilians?
Gabbard: I want to correct that because there's been some misunderstanding. There have been reports showing that chemical weapons have been used in Syria, both by the Syrian government as well as different terrorist groups on the ground in Syria.[70]
[...]
Dana Bash: This week, Syrian refugees in Jordan, they requested that the first International Criminal Court case against the Syrian government commence. You met Bashar al-Assad in 2017, do you believe that Assad is a war criminal?
Gabbard: I think that the evidence needs to be gathered and as I have said before, if there is evidence that he has committed war crimes he should be prosecuted as such.
Bash: But you’re not sure now?
Gabbard: Everything that I have said requires that we take action based on evidence. If the evidence is there, there should be accountability.[71]

Bret Baier: In 2017, you visited Syria. You met with Bashar al-Assad. Recently you were asked if he was a war criminal and you couldn’t really say. Can you say it tonight?
Gabbard: Look, like I said earlier, we have to be willing to meet with people who may be adversaries, or potential adversaries or dictators or others, in the pursuit of peace and security. What’s more important than the question that you're asking right now is to focus on the cost of this regime change war on our country.[72]
[...]
Baier: There are people inside the US military, many of them, and inside the US intelligence agencies that believe that Assad was behind the gassing of his own people. You just don’t buy that?
Gabbard: No, what I have said and I have said this numerous times is that the Assad government, the Syrian government, there have been other actors, terrorist groups like al-Qaeda and others, other jihadist groups in Syria, have unfortunately used these chemical weapons in this war that’s currently being waged.[73]

Russian support[edit]

Al-Qaeda attacked us on 9/11 and must be defeated. Obama won’t bomb them in Syria. Putin did. #neverforget911
—Tulsi Gabbard lying on Twitter to praise Putin[74]

Apparently due to Gabbard's support for Russian military involvement in Syria, she has gained financial campaign support from at least two or three Americans who are Russia sycophants: "Stephen F. Cohen, a Russian studies professor at New York University and prominent Kremlin sympathizer; Sharon Tennison, a vocal Putin supporter"; and "Goofy Grapes", an employee of RT.[75] The actual identity of "Goofy Grapes", who gave $1000, is unknown and would therefore seem to be a violation of the Federal Election Campaign Act.[75][76] In response to the Daily Beast's revelation of these campaign donations, she responded in a most Trumpian manner, by falsely proclaiming "fake news".[77]

On October 18, 2019, Hillary Clinton said that Russia was “grooming” a candidate to run as a third-party candidate who would help President Trump win reelection through the spoiler effect.[78][79] Later that day, Gabbard went Trumpian again, responding in a tweet by attacking Clinton as the "queen of warmongers."[78] Clinton had yet to actually confirm that her remarks were in reference to Gabbard, who nonetheless recognized that Clinton was talking about her.

In February 2019 NBC News published a report charging that "the Russian propaganda machine that tried to influence the 2016 U.S. election is now promoting" Gabbard based on an analysis of the main English-language news sites employed by Russia in the Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.[80] In October 2019 the New York Times reported that "an independent analysis of the Russian news media found that RT, the Kremlin-backed news agency, mentioned Ms. Gabbard frequently for a candidate polling in single digits, according to data collected by the Alliance for Securing Democracy."Wikipedia[81]

In 2017 Christopher Cooper, a media consultant with the Potomac Square Group, worked as a consultant to Gabbard. Cooper, a figure in the investigation of the Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections, has been involved in Russian-sponsored lobbying; during Congressional testimony his lobbying work was referred to as "one the best examples of Putin’s propaganda."[82][83][84][85][86]

In 2022 it was revealed that Gabbard had accepted money from Elena Chernykh, who was at the time under indictment for illegally acting as an unregistered Russian agent on U.S. soil.[87]

Science of Identity Foundation[edit]

Gabbard has a number of ties to the Science of Identity FoundationWikipedia (SIF), a religious sect in Hawaii that has been described as a cult.[88][89] The sect is led by Chris Butler (aka Siddhaswarupananda Goswami), who had been a member of the Hare Krishna movement (ISKCON) since 1970 but later split with the organization to found SIF. SIF has sufficient similarities to ISKCON (Vaishnava branch of Hinduism, teaching of Bhakti yoga, similar taboos), that it should probably be regarded as a schism of ISKCON. Former members who were critical of the sect described being forced to worship Butler - up to the point of eating his nail clippings and sand that he had walked on.[88] His teachings were also described as misogynistic and - perhaps foreshadowing Gabbard's future - homophobic and Islamophobic.

Gabbard's father, Mike Gabbard, said in 2004: "Although I'm not a member of the Science of Identity Foundation, I'm eternally thankful to Chris Butler;" however, both he and Gabbard's mother served on the board of the Science of Identity Foundation, and his sister Sinavaiana told The Independent in a 2022 interview that he had joined the group 40 years prior.[90] Gabbard was raised in part with the group's teachings, and went to a boarding school in the Philippines run by the SIF.

In 2015, Gabbard referred to Butler as her "guru dev" or spiritual master.[88] Gabbard's husband, Abraham Williams, has strong family connections to Butler. His mother, Anya Anthony, works with Wai Lana Productions LLC, a company associated with Butler’s wife; Anthony runs Gabbard's political office in Honolulu. Gabbard has not answered questions about her ties to the sect, claiming that it is an attack on her Hindu faith.[91]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. LGBT civil rights advocacy group the Human Rights Campaign gave Gabbard a 100% score for the 115th United States Congress (January 2017 to January 2019). Her 114th score was 88% and her 113th score was 92%.
  2. The Joint Investigative Mechanism was a partnership between the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical WeaponsWikipedia (OPCW) and the United Nations (UN).
  3. Gabbard has appeared at least 11 times on Tucker Carlson's show since 2017, including at least 6 appearances in 2019:

References[edit]

  1. Tulsi Gabbard’s Biggest Political Donor In 2021 Is A Putin Apologist by Zach Everson (Mar 14, 2022,05:07pm EDT) Forbes.
  2. What is Tulsi Gabbard actually doing on Russia? by Chris Cillizza (Updated 1:52 PM ET, March 1, 2022) CNN.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Lele, Aaditi and Winters, Alison, "Matt Walsh hosts anti-trans rally headlined by Marsha Blackburn, Tulsi Gabbard", The Vanderbilt Hustler 23 October 2022.
  4. Grube, Nick, "Tulsi Gabbard’s Financial Disclosures Leave Out Ties To Koch-Funded Think Tank", Honolulu Civil Beat 1 March 2019.
  5. Silverman, Jacob, "The Quiet Political Rise of David Sacks, Silicon Valley’s Prophet of Urban Doom", The Soapbox 18 October 2011.
  6. Walsh, Sheri (October 12, 2022). "Tulsi Gabbard to campaign for GOP after leaving Democratic Party". United Press International. MSN. 
  7. The GOP's new, Russia-friendly campaign-trail buddy: Tulsi Gabbard
  8. Tulsi Gabbard Has Endorsed At Least 12 Republicans This Election Season
  9. http://www.khon2.com/news/local/story/Tulsi-Gabbard-announces-candidacy-for-U-S-Congress/8JxmuXAT2EeJnbv8E0jkGw.cspx
  10. Tulsi Gabbard. GovTrack.us
  11. ProgressivePunch: House Members by score / All issues
  12. The VoteView entry on Tulsi Gabbard
  13. Pignataro, Anthony, "Maui Democratic Party activist Shay Chan Hodges says she’s running against U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard", Maui Time 7.7.16.
  14. Higgins, Eoin, "Tulsi Gabbard Is Not Who You Think She Is", Paste (11/22/16 at 9:12am).
  15. Posner, Sarah (August 22, 2016). "How Steve Bannon Created an Online Haven for White Nationalists". Mother Jones. 
  16. Farivar, Masood (March 17, 2020). "Once Ardent Trump Supporters, White Nationalists Splinter Ahead of Presidential Vote". Voice of America News. 
  17. Gray, Rosie (August 1, 2019). "Tulsi Gabbard Is This Election’s Ron Paul". Buzzfeed News. 
  18. Franklin Graham, archived from Twitter, 11 October 2022
  19. You can see her FEC form here
  20. Forgey, Quint (March 19, 2020). "Tulsi Gabbard ends White House bid, endorses Biden". Politico. 
  21. Former Democratic party leader Tulsi Gabbard compares Biden to Adolf Hitler, C Krishnasai, WION 18 October 2022
  22. Tulsi Gabbard announces she is leaving Democratic Party, calling it an 'elitist cabal of warmongers' October 11, 2022, Isabella Murray and Mark Osborne, ABC News
  23. Can Ex-Democrat Tulsi Gabbard Bail Out This Election Denier?, Jake Lahut, The Daily Beast12 October 2022
  24. Bolduc’s ‘Reckless’ Comments About Russia Spark Criticism, Calls to Withdraw, Michael Graham, NH Journal 1 March 2022
  25. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard on Facebook: Raise the Wage Act | Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard. January 8, 2018. Press Release.
  26. Universal Healthcare | Tulsi Gabbard - Fighting for the people. votetulsi.com
  27. Tulsi Gabbard on Marijuana Legalization
  28. Peoples War: "Tulsi Gabbard Endorses Torture During 12/17/14 NDTV Appearance @ 16:45" YouTube. January 14, 2019.

    Host: Let me ask you in the end, as a soldier how do you respond to the much discussed report on the CIA's use of torture and what some Americans have called a blot on American values. Do you share that opinion or as a soldier do you have a very different perspective on the use of torture?
    Gabbard: Very bluntly, I'm conflicted. I'm conflicted on this report. There are-- I think the jury is still out on the report itself. There have been comments that there are things missing or it was incomplete and there are differing opinions on the report itself. But as I think about it myself, clearly we would not like to see any human, any person around the world being treated inhumanely. On the other side, I can also understand that any of us, if we're in a situation where our family, or our community, our state, or our country is in a place where, let's say in an hour, a nuclear bomb or an attack will go off unless this information is found. I believe that if I were the president of the United States that I would do everything in my power to keep the American people safe. So this is an area that I have conflicting feelings on.
    Host: Although of course there are questions about whether torture actually leads to the correct intel, right? That debate carries on.
    Gabbard: That debate carries on. There are those who are in the position of conducting these interrogations. Some who have said...
    Host: ...it does work...
    Gabbard: ...it does and others who have said it doesn't.

  29. Gun Control Vote Tulsi.
  30. Tulsi Gabbard's Voting Records on Issue: Guns Vote Smart.
  31. 31.0 31.1 Balachandran, Manu, "Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu in the US Congress, on Modi, Hinduism, and linking Islam to terror", Quartz India 3.2.16.
  32. Schwartz, Ian, "Dem Rep. Gabbard: Use Term Radical Islamic Terrorism, 'Important That You Identify Your Enemy'", RCP 7.18.16.
  33. Graziosi, Graig (Friday, 12 March, 2021 at 08:34 (GMT)). "Tulsi Gabbard compares cancel culture to ISIS and Al-Qaeda in Fox News interview". The Independent. 
  34. Adrienne LaFrance, Tulsi Gabbard's Leftward Journey", Civil Beat. January 16, 2012.
  35. Antone, Rod. Crowds jam civil union debate Starbulletin.com. February 20, 2004.
  36. 36.0 36.1 36.2 Pignataro, Anthony, "UPDATED: Here’s why the Hawaii LGBT Caucus doesn’t support Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s reelection campaign", Maui Time 7.25.16.
  37. 37.0 37.1 Bolante, Ronna, "Who is Mike Gabbard?", Honolulu Magazine (8/1/04).
  38. 38.0 38.1 Sanneh, Kelefa. "What does Tulsi Gabbard believe?" The New Yorker. November 6, 2017.
  39. Q&A with Tulsi Gabbard. Yoga, Peace, and the Aloha Spirit, Yoga Hawaii Magazine 03.08.18.
  40. Tulsi Gabbard Still Dogged By Krishna Cult Rumors by Rui Kaneya (03/16/2015 02:26 pm ET) The Huffington Post.
  41. Essoyan, Susan, "Rivals protest endorsement of Tamayo by her nonprofit", Star Advertiser 1.4.17.
  42. 42.0 42.1 Choi, Matthew. "Tulsi Gabbard apologizes for past anti-LGBT rhetoric" Politico. January 17, 2019.
  43. NEW: Hawaii Rep. @TulsiGabbard introduces bill called ‘Protect Women’s Sports Act’ — would clarify Title IX protections to be based on biological sex, which would impact transgender athletes participating in athletic programs for women and girls @KITV4 by Tom George (2:27 PM - 10 Dec 2020) Twitter (archived from December 11, 2020).
  44. "The rise of Gabbard: No telling how far independent path will take her" Hawaii Tribune-Herald. August 28, 2016.
  45. Kim Iversen: "Understanding Tulsi Gabbard: Interview March 2019". YouTube. April 6, 2019.
  46. Press Release: "Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Votes in Support of Iran Deal Over Alternatives", 9.11.14.
  47. VIDEO: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Urges Congress to Oppose Authorization for War Against Iran Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard - Press Release. May 22, 2018.
  48. Press Release: "Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Reacts To Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Address To Congress", 3.4.15.
  49. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Reinforces Commitment to Peace Through Two-State Solution for Israel and Palestine Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard - Press Release. January 6, 2017.
  50. PHOTOS: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Meets with Egypt President el-Sisi and Other Leaders in Cairo Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard - Press Release. November 23, 2015.
  51. "Bad enough US has not been bombing al-Qaeda/al-Nusra in Syria. But it’s mind-boggling that we protest Russia’s bombing of these terrorists." Tulsi Gabbard on Twitter. September 30, 2015.
  52. Fox News: "Lawmaker says Assad should stay in power for now". YouTube. Oct 2, 2015.

    I've introduced resolutions, introduced amendments, to the defence bill in Congress to say "hey, we need to directly support and arm these Kurdish fighters both in Iraq as well as in Syria."

  53. Ashe, Ivy, "Gabbard supports GOP bill on Syrian refugees", Hawaii Tribune-Herald (11/21/15 at 1:30am).
  54. See the Wikipedia article on American SAFE Act of 2015.
  55. 55.0 55.1 Siddiqui, Sabrina, "Tulsi Gabbard reveals she met Assad in Syria, without informing top Democrats", Guardian (1/26/17 at 12:58 PM EST).
  56. "Tulsi Gabbard: The Bernie-Endorsing Congresswoman Who Trump Fans Can Love" The Daily Beast. July 25, 2016.
  57. 57.0 57.1 Tulsi Gabbard's Syria meeting with Assad sparks outcry. BBC News. January 27, 2017.
  58. Heather Caygle and Josh Bresnahan, "Gabbard won't disclose who's paying for secret trip to Syria", Politico (Updated 01/18/17 05:24 PM EST).
  59. Cribb, Esmi, "Tulsi Gabbard Confirms She Met With Assad During Secret Trip To Syria" TPM (1/25/17 at 4:34 PM EDT).
  60. Rowell, Alex, "Tulsi Gabbard’s Fascist Escorts to Syria", Daily Beast (1/26/17 at 4:25 PM ET).
  61. Gabbard, Tulsi. "End the War in Syria." votetulsi.com
  62. Dem Rep Gabbard Repeatedly Defends Assad, Refuses To Call Him An “Adversary” Or “Enemy” YouTube. Feb 6, 2019.
  63. "Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Introduces Bill To Halt U.S. Arms Supplies To Syrian Allies", NPR (12/10/16 at 8:27 AM ET).
  64. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard: Trump’s Military Strikes in Syria Are Reckless and Short-Sighted Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard - Press Release. April 6, 2017.
  65. CNN: "Rep. Gabbard on Syria: Evidence, facts matter" YouTube. April 7, 2017.
  66. Timeline of investigations into Syria's chemical weapons. Reuters. April 9, 2018.
  67. 67.0 67.1 Tulsi's Record on the Issues: Reports on Chemical Attacks in Syria. tulsi2020.com
  68. "More Than 300 Chemical Attacks Launched During Syrian Civil War, Study Says" by Clare Lombardo, NPR, 2019 February 17
  69. "Rep. Tulsi Gabbard on why she’s running for president | The View". YouTube. Feb 20, 2019.

    Gabbard: There is no disputing the fact that Bashar al-Assad in Syria is a brutal dictator. There is no disputing the fact that he has used chemical weapons and other weapons against his people.

  70. US Presidential Debates: "Tulsi Gabbard Democratic Primary Town Hall - March 10 2019 on CNN" YouTube. Apr 1, 2019.
  71. US Presidential Debates: "Tulsi Gabbard Democratic Primary Town Hall - March 10 2019 on CNN" YouTube. Apr 1, 2019.
  72. Fox News: "Rep. Tulsi Gabbard goes one-on-one with Bret Baier". YouTube. April 17, 2019.
  73. Fox News: "Rep. Tulsi Gabbard goes one-on-one with Bret Baier". YouTube. April 17, 2019.
  74. "Al-Qaeda attacked us on 9/11 and must be defeated. Obama won’t bomb them in Syria. Putin did. #neverforget911". Tulsi Gabbard lying on Twitter to praise Putin. October 1, 2015.
  75. 75.0 75.1 Tulsi Gabbard’s Campaign Is Being Boosted by Putin Apologists: The Hawaii congresswoman is quickly becoming the top candidate for Democrats who think the Russian leader is misunderstood. by Lachlan Markay & Sam Stein (05.17.19 4:44 AM ET) Daily Beast.
  76. Contribution limits Federal Election Commission.
  77. Gabbard calls unflattering report 'fake news' by David Beavers (05/19/2019 11:29 AM EDT) Politico.
  78. 78.0 78.1 Morgan, Scott. "Hillary Clinton suggests Russia is grooming Tulsi Gabbard for third-party run" (in en). 
  79. Pearce, Tim (2019-10-18). "Hillary Clinton says Tulsi Gabbard is a 'Russian asset' groomed to ensure Trump reelection" (in en). 
  80. "Russia's propaganda machine discovers 2020 Democratic candidate Tulsi Gabbard" - NBC News. Written by Robert Windrem and Ben Popken. Published on Feb. 2, 2019 at 7:03 AM EST.
  81. Lerer, Lisa (October 19, 2019). "What, Exactly, Is Tulsi Gabbard Up To?". New York Times. 
  82. Walden, Andrew (January 5, 2018). "Tulsi Gabbard Hires Russian Agent to Keep Hawaii Media in Check". Hawaii Free Press. 
  83. Johnson, Henry (June 10, 2016). "Millionaire Tries to Stop Documentary Claiming to Tell the True Story of Russia’s Missing $230 Million". Foreign Policy. 
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