Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), a 2020 White House hopeful, agreed with Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s description of former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton late Wednesday as a “neocon.”
“So, whatever you think of Hillary, and … I think she’s capable in certain ways. I’m not — don’t think everything is about her is bad, but kind of a full-blown neocon, no? Or am I imagining that?” Carlson asked Gabbard during an appearance on his show.
“No, you’re not imagining,” Gabbard responded. “I think everybody knows and understands that she is a warmonger.
“And it is her record,” Gabbard added, “that is proof of that.”
The discussion came after Iran this week struck Iraqi military bases housing U.S. military personnel in retaliation for a U.S. drone strike that killed a top Iranian general. After the attacks, the Twitter hashtag “ivotedforHillaryClinton” trended on Twitter.
Carlson argued that the former senator would be more likely to go to war with Iran based on her past remarks, and played a clip of a 2008 interview with ABC in which Clinton said, “If Iran were to launch a nuclear attack on Israel, what would our response be? I want the Iranians to know that if I’m the president, we will attack Iran.”
Gabbard said she agreed that the hashtag was contrary to Clinton’s past comments about Iran.
“I think everyone knows and understands that she is a warmonger, and it is her record,” said Gabbard, who clashed with Clinton late last year when the former secretary of State claimed the Hawaii lawmaker was a “favorite of the Russians.”
“I’m the only candidate running for president who served in uniform in Iraq — and understand very clearly the situation there,” Gabbard, who has said she strongly disapproves of the airstrike on Gen. Qassem Soleimani, added.
The 2020 White House hopeful also told Carlson that she believes that a large part of President Trump’s success has been his promise to contain military action in the Middle East, but added that she is doubtful he will stick to that vow.
“For days now, I’ve been calling for our troops from Iraq and Syria to come home, and here’s why: When we deploy our troops downrange … there has to be a very clear mission that is achievable … or that mission serves our country’s national security interest, but that is not happening now,” Gabbard said.
“Our troops are hostages and we owe them more than that,” Carlson added.