Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) on Monday demanded that Hillary Clinton retract 'defamatory' comments alleging that the 2020 presidential candidate is a favorite of the Russians, according to The Hill.

"Your statement is defamatory, and we demand that you retract it immediately," wrote Gabbard's attorneys in a letter, demanding that Clinton do so both verbally and via Twitter.

Last month Clinton peddled the conspiracy theory that Gabbard is being 'groomed' to split the Democratic party as a third party candidate, and that she's the Kremlin's top pick in 2020.

Speaking with former Obama 2008 campaign manager David Plouffe on his podcast, "Campaign HQ with David Plouffe," Clinton said - without mentioning Gabbard by name: "I'm not making any predictions but I think they've got their eye on somebody who is currently in the Democratic primary and are grooming her to be the third-party candidate. She's the favorite of the Russians ."

Of course, that's "assuming Jill Stein will give it up - because she's also a Russian asset ," Clinton continued.

"It appears you may now be claiming that this statement is about Republicans (not Russians) grooming Gabbard," Gabbard's lawyer wrote in the letter. "But this makes no sense in light of what you actually said. After you made the statement linking Congresswoman Gabbard to the Russians, you (through your spokesman) doubled down on it with the Russian nesting dolls remark," referring to comments by Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill.

These people are sick pic.twitter.com/zQ9EGDEW2t — Michael Tracey (@mtracey) October 18, 2019

Gabbard has repeatedly denied that she will run in a third party bid for the White House.