Buttigieg Dodges Question When Asked if Tulsi Gabbard is a “Russian Asset” as Hillary Suggested

Pete Buttigieg refused to answer “yes” or “no” when confronted by Jake Tapper of CNN with the question of whether Tulsi Gabbard is a “Russian Asset” as Hillary Clinton claimed.

Jake Tapper himself admitted the claim appeared to him to be a “wild accusation.”

WATCH:

Dailycaller reports Tapper began the segment by playing a clip of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who argued that Gabbard was “being groomed” by the Russians to be a third party candidate in an effort to undermine the eventual Democratic nominee

“Gabbard called her the Queen of warmongers and you don’t want to get into the middle of it but is it helpful to have a nominee suggesting that a congresswoman is a Russian asset?” Tapper asked.

Buttigieg immediately sidestepped, saying, “I would prefer the conversation about policy and what we’re going to do and how American lives will be different. When it comes to any of my Democratic competitors, that is my focus.”

“Right. But do you think Tulsi Gabbard is a Russian asset?” Tapper pressed again, asking directly.

“I don’t know what the basis is for that,” Buttigieg sidestepped again. “But I consider her to be a competitor. I respect her service and have very different views than she does on foreign policy and I would prefer to have that argument in terms of debates and going forward.”

Tapper pushed back, asking why Democrats defended people when Trump smeared them but didn’t seem motivated to defend Gabbard from similar attacks from other Democrats, no matter how wild. “So when Trump smears people, Democrats stand up and say, ‘You’re smearing someone stop it.’ Why don’t Democrats do it to say that about Tulsi Gabbard? It seems like an obvious smear. I don’t see any evidence she’s a Russian asset. That seems like a wild accusation,” he added.