Gabbard Demands Romney Drop 'Treasonous' Accusation

An attack by Sen. Mitt Romney on Tulsi Gabbard last month has drawn a response from her lawyer. "Tulsi Gabbard is parroting false Russian propaganda," the Republican senator had tweeted. "Her treasonous lies may well cost lives." Romney didn't say which comments of Gabbard's he was referring to, the Hill reports, though she had made an unproven claim in a tweet the same day about biolabs in Ukraine being funded by the US. On Wednesday, the former Democratic member of Congress from Hawaii said Romney has been sent a cease-and-desist letter.

Former cable news host Keith Olbermann received a similar letter, Gabbard said. Both were told to "cease these false, defamatory, and malicious claims" and retract or take down statements she found objectionable. "When powerful, influential people make baseless accusations of treason, a crime punishable by death, in order to intimidate, silence and censor those who speak the truth, it has a chilling effect on our democracy," Gabbard posted. Government media in Russia played video of Gabbard appearing on Fox News’ Tucker Carlson Tonight, making similar accusations about labs in Ukraine, per the Daily Beast. There was no immediate comment Thursday from Romney's office. (More Tulsi Gabbard stories.)