Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii said Tuesday she is leaving the Democratic Party because it is controlled by an “elitist cabal” that is courting nuclear war and is too hostile toward people of faith and the police.
Ms. Gabbard, who served in Congress from 2013 to 2021, posted a Twitter video outlining her complaints with her former party.
She said Democrats are “driven by cowardly wokeness” and make everything about race, and they “actively work to undermine our God-given freedoms, are hostile to people of faith & spirituality, demonize the police & protect criminals at the expense of law-abiding Americans, believe in open borders, weaponize the national security state to go after political opponents, and above all, dragging us ever closer to nuclear war.”
Ms. Gabbard, an Army reserve officer who makes television appearances, has sparred with her party before, including complaints about the nominating process in 2016 after she endorsed Sen. Bernard Sanders, Vermont independent, for president.
She met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during the Syrian civil war, raising eyebrows, and often speaks out against military interventions.
Some have accused her of repeating Russian propaganda, and Hillary Clinton seemed to suggest Ms. Gabbard was a Russian asset, leading to a defamation suit that Ms. Gabbard later dropped.
Ms. Gabbard ran for president in the 2020 Democratic primary but eventually dropped out and endorsed President Biden.
Her statement made clear she hasn’t been happy with Democrats since then.
“I believe in a government that is of, by, and for the people,” she said. “Unfortunately, today’s Democratic Party does not. Instead, it stands for a government of, by, and for the powerful elite. I’m calling on my fellow common sense independent-minded Democrats to join me in leaving the Democratic Party.”