Democratic House Representative for Hawaii Tulsi Gabbard was widely condemned by Democrats and Republicans for holding an unannounced meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2017 during a “fact-finding” trip to the Mideast country.
Tulsi Gabbard, who announced earlier this month she would run for president in 2020 has defended her decision to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad two years ago.
Tulsi Gabbard Speaks the Truth on Syria, Gets Smeared by the Mainstream Media
Speaking on Sunday with CNN's Jake Tapper on “State of the Union”, the Democratic Rep. said she didn't regret having met Assad.
“I think that it is, it continues to be very important for any leader in this country to be willing to meet with others, whether they be friends or adversaries or potential adversaries if we are serious about the pursuit of peace and securing our country”, Gabbard told Tapper.
Gabbard, an Iraq war veteran, explained that she had witnessed the plight of the Middle East firsthand and “the cost of war”:
“You know, Jake, you – you often acknowledge and bring to the forefront the cost of war and our troops and who pays the price. And, as a veteran, you know I have been serving in the Army National Guard now for 15 years and continue to serve, served on two Middle East deployments. I have seen this cost of war firsthand, which is why I fight so hard for peace. And that's the…
