Clinton and Gabbard trade insults in 2020 dust-up

There are fresh battles lines in the 2020 presidential campaign, reflecting an unpredictable rivalry between two Democratic politicians — one who isn’t even running this cycle and another who is polling at barely 1 percent.

Former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton suggested this week that current primary contender Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii is being used by the Russians, who could be plotting a third party run to siphon votes from the eventual Democratic nominee. It’s a scenario that Clinton is sensitive to, since she blames Russian election interference and Green Party candidate Jill Stein for her loss to President Donald Trump.

Gabbard, in a scathing response, called Clinton “the queen of warmongers, embodiment of corruption, and personification of the rot that has sickened the Democratic Party for so long.”

“It’s now clear that this primary is between you and me,” Gabbard wrote on Twitter. “Don’t cowardly hide behind your proxies. Join the race directly.”

Clinton has not responded, but her spokesman, Nick Merrill, told CNN, “If the nesting doll fits.”

Merrill, in an interview Saturday, said Clinton was “not saying Americans are Russian spies, but that Russia has found ways to take advantage and is not being held responsible by anyone in government.”

Few outside of Clinton’s immediate orbit defended her comments. The closest anyone came was Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., who retweeted Gabbard’s reaction to Clinton with a viral gif from the June debate when he glanced “side eyed” — a look that often conveys shock or disdain — at another candidate. On the campaign trail, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., refused to engage, saying, “I’m sure Secretary Clinton can defend herself.”

But two of the nonpoliticians in the Democratic primary, entrepreneur Andrew Yang and author Marianne Williamson, sided with Gabbard.