Tulsi Gabbard Snaps Over Assad Questions on MSNBC, Accuses Host of Taking Talking Points From Kamala Harris
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard snapped at MSNBC anchor Yasmin Vossoughian for asking about her meeting with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad during an interview on Thursday.
The intense questioning from the MSNBC host came after Sen. Kamala Harris called out Gabbard’s visit to Syria after their clash during CNN’s debate on Wednesday night. A frustrated Gabbard lashed out at Vossoughian for asking about her meeting with the Syrian dictator, suggesting she had been fed talking points by Harris, and likening the question to “propaganda.”
“When sitting down with someone like Bashar al-Assad in Syria, do you confront him directly and say why do you order chemical attacks on your own people? Why do you cause the killings of over half a million people in your country?” Vossoughian asked. Gabbard said she wanted to “break down” what they were talking about.
“It’s really a yes or no answer, do you confront him or not?” Vossoughian pressed.
“You’re talking about a meeting that took place, what, three years ago?” said Gabbard. “And every time I come back here on MSNBC, you guys talk to me about these issues, it sounds like these are talking points that Kamala Harris and her campaign are feeding you, because she’s refusing to address the questions that were posed to her.”
Vossoughian said she just wanted to provide context on Gabbard’s foreign policy. “If you’re leading with foreign policy, a meeting with Bashar Al-Assad which I’m sure you understand is a very controversial meeting to take,” adding that every anchor has a different perspective on the meeting at issue.
“Every single time for three years? This is where the propaganda comes in because I’ve talked about this a lot for the last three years,” said Gabbard.
Gabbard said that she would “not apologize” to Vossoughian or anyone for her military service. “I will continue to do all that I can to make sure that we end these wasteful regime change wars that have taken such a toll on all of us and that have made our country less safe,” said Gabbard. “And if that means having a meeting with a dictator, if that means trying to meet with Kim Jong-Un in North Korea to de-escalate tensions and remove this nuclear threat from our country and our people, whatever the crisis is.”
“I don’t think anybody is asking you to apologize for your service,” Vossoughian concluded, adding that she was just asking for an explanation.
Watch above, via MSNBC.
