Rep. Justin Amash said that Hillary Clinton is helping President Trump’s chances at being reelected by calling 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard a “Russian asset.”

Amash, a 39-year-old Tea Party conservative who left the Republican Party over Trump, tweeted that Clinton’s comments were going to “drive many people into the arms of Donald Trump.”

“The thing we know for sure is that Hillary Clinton is a Donald Trump asset,” the Michigan congressman said late Friday night.

“Hillary does — and did — drive many people into the arms of Donald Trump. Her attack on Tulsi does likewise," he continued. "In my district, Trump did worse than any Republican in modern times and still beat Clinton by a fair margin. Many Ds in the Midwest rejected her. I didn’t vote for either one.

"When I heard Hillary’s remarks, I knew exactly what the right would say: The left smears anyone they don’t like. To my Dem friends: Recognize that this plays right into Trump’s hands; that it diminishes the legitimate inquiry into Russia; that it bolsters Trump’s 'hoax' nonsense," Amash added.



The thing we know for sure is that Hillary Clinton is a Donald Trump asset. — Justin Amash (@justinamash) October 19, 2019

When I heard Hillary’s remarks, I knew exactly what the right would say: The left smears anyone they don’t like. To my Dem friends: Recognize that this plays right into Trump’s hands; that it diminishes the legitimate inquiry into Russia; that it bolsters Trump’s “hoax” nonsense. — Justin Amash (@justinamash) October 19, 2019



On Thursday, Clinton said Gabbard is “ a favorite of the Russians” and implied that the congresswoman is a "Russian asset" being groomed to spoil the 2020 election with a third-party run.

The Hawaii congresswoman fired back at Clinton over Twitter on Friday and urged her to join the 2020 Democratic primary.

“The queen of warmongers, embodiment of corruption, and personification of the rot that has sickened the Democratic Party for so long,” Gabbard said. “It’s now clear that this primary is between you and me. Don’t cowardly hide behind your proxies. Join the race directly.”

Political figures on both sides of the spectrum have criticized Clinton over the attack. CNN Democratic commentator Van Jones said that Clinton was “ playing right into the Russians’ hands,” and former George W. Bush adviser Karl Rove said she was “ out of her mind.”