To the Editor:

Re “Tulsi Gabbard Lashes Back at Hillary Clinton After Claim of Russian Influence” (nytimes.com, Oct. 18):

In this lead-up to the primaries, Democrats should be operating under their version of Ronald Reagan’s 11th commandment: Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Democrat. Doing so could weaken another candidate who might end up as the nominee.

Hillary Clinton continues to do what she has done for years — create conflicts, distractions and problems for the Democratic Party.

The accusations she made about Tulsi Gabbard being a Russian asset, without offering any evidence, are yet another example of her self-absorption, ignoring what is best to get a Democrat back in the White House.

The Democrats need to focus on cleaning up President Trump’s mess, a mess that Mrs. Clinton’s prior failure helped make possible.