Senator Kamala Harris attacked Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard over her lack of party loyalty during Wednesday night’s Democratic debate and accused the Hawaii congresswoman of having “buddied up to Steve Bannon” after President Trump’s election.
“It’s unfortunate that we have someone on this stage who is attempting to be the Democratic nominee for president of the United States who during the Obama administration spent four years, full-time on Fox News criticizing President Obama, who has spent full-time criticizing people on this stage as affiliated with the Democratic Party,” the former California attorney general said of Gabbard at the the fifth Democratic debate, hosted by MSNBC and The Washington Post.
Harris continued, saying the Hawaii congresswoman “buddied up” to Steve Bannon, President Trump’s former campaign manager, in order to get a meeting with Trump in Trump Tower before he was sworn in.
Gabbard for her part accused Harris of trafficking in “lies and smears and innuendos” against her. She added that she believes Harris would, as president, “continue the status quo, continue the Bush, Clinton, Trump foreign policy of regime change wars, which is deeply destructive.”
Harris responded by indirectly praising President Obama and calling for a recomposition of the coalition that brought him to the White House. The Democratic nominee should be someone who can “rebuild the Obama coalition and bring the party together,” she said.
Harris is currently leading Gabbard in the Democratic primary by about 2 points, according to the Real Clear Politics national poll average.