During tonight’s CNN debate, Anderson Cooper asked Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard about President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw forces from Syria.

Gabbard — who has come under criticism during the campaign for her controversial meeting with Syrian dictator Bashar Al-Assad, particularly by Kamala Harris — said that “the slaughter of the Kurds being done by Turkey is yet another negative consequence of the regime change war we’ve been waging in Syria.”

She continued that it’s not just Trump who has “the blood of the Kurds on his hand,” but also many other politicians and figures in the “mainstream media” who have “been championing and cheerleading this regime change war.”

Gabbard then blasted both news organizations sponsoring the debate:

“The New York Times and CNN have also smeared veterans like myself for calling for an end to this regime change war. Just two days ago, the New York Times put out an article saying that I’m a Russian asset and an Assad apologist and all these different smears. This morning, a CNN commentator said on national television that I’m an asset of Russia. Completely despicable.”

The Times piece Gabbard referred to is a recent profile on the Hawaii congresswoman that reported on her “frequent” mentions in Russian state news media:

Ms. Gabbard’s fans are especially sensitive to claims that she is supported by Russian bots and amplified by the Russian state-funded news media outlets — a conspiracy theory, they say, that is designed to delegitimize her campaign and her foreign policy views.

As for CNN, Gabbard referenced comments made by Bakari Sellers on New Day this morning. He said Gabbard represents the “antithesis” of what the other Democrats stand for, adding, “There is no question that Tulsi Gabbard, of all the 12, is a puppet for the Russian government.”

And Sellers was clearly watching her remarks tonight:

👀 — Bakari Sellers (@Bakari_Sellers) October 16, 2019

You can watch above, via CNN.

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