You don’t have to be someone who supports Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) and/or her campaign for president to be able to appreciate and respect how she took down liberal blowhard Joy Behar on today’s “The View” program on ABC.

Gabbard was visiting the show in the aftermath of accusations made, without evidence, by twice-failed candidate for president Hillary Clinton several weeks ago in which she stated Gabbard was a “Russian asset” who was being “groomed” for a third-party run against President Trump in order to hamstring the eventual Democratic nominee.

The Hawaii congresswoman, who stated back in August she would not consider a third-party run in the event she didn’t win the nomination, responded back forcefully against Clinton at the time, calling her a “warmonger” and the “embodiment of corruption, and personification of the rot that has sickened the Democratic Party for so long.”

Several days later, Gabbard reaffirmed her commitment to not wage a third-party candidacy in response to Democratic speculation about it, while also announcing she would not run for reelection to her Congressional seat so she could focus solely on her presidential run.

Today’s View segment was interesting not simply because Gabbard was on, but because people watching were waiting to see how she would respond to disparaging comments Behar made about her shortly after Clinton’s remarks were reported. At the time, Behar – a Clinton apologist – called Gabbard a “useful idiot” for the Russians, saying she did not deny what Clinton claimed about her.

It was a clear, ugly insinuation that there was truth behind Clinton’s allegations. When Gabbard sat down next to Behar to respond, she did not hold back:

Mostly addressing Behar, Gabbard said, “I want to start with something I think is also important about facts because recently on your show here some of you have accused me being a traitor to my country, a Russian asset, a Trojan horse or a useful idiot, I think is the term that you used, which basically means that I am naive or lack intelligence.”

Saying she wanted to set the record straight, Gabbard described herself as a patriot and a “strong and intelligent woman of color and I have dedicated almost my entire adult life to protecting the safety, security and the freedom of all Americans in this country.”
[…]
After the show played the Clinton clip, Gabbard said, “Really? This is offensive and outrageous on so many levels.” Citing her post-9/11 military service and her political career, the congresswoman said such aspersions are “offensive to me as a soldier, as an American, as a member of Congress, as a veteran, and frankly as a woman, to be so demeaned in such a way.”

A lot more was said between the two during the lengthy segment, but Gabbard refused to let up on Behar, who insinuated Gabbard, an Iraq war veteran, was a coward for appearing on Tucker Carlson’s show on Fox News but not Chris Wallace’s. This, in spite of the fact that Gabbard went straight to the lion’s den which was “The View” to look Behar straight in the eye and tell her she was full of it.

Describing what went down is one thing, but seeing it on video is better. Watch a portion of the back and forth between Gabbard and Behar below:

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard pushes back on those she says insinuated she’s a “Russian asset, a trojan horse” after Hillary Clinton implied, without naming names, that a female 2020 candidate is a “favorite of the Russians.” https://t.co/aMKSCcYgCv pic.twitter.com/DxCJG0u528

— The View (@TheView) November 6, 2019

As a side note, is it just me or did anyone else think Behar accusing someone else of being a “Useful Idiot” was a lot like the pot calling the kettle black? She is absolutely the last person who should be putting that label on anyone.

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— Based in North Carolina, Sister Toldjah is a former liberal and a 16+ year veteran of blogging with an emphasis on media bias, social issues, and the culture wars. Read her Red State archives here. Connect with her on Twitter. –