As we told you, over the weekend, Republican Sen. Mitt Romney accused former Democratic congresswoman and presidential hopeful Tulsi Gabbard of “parroting false Russian propaganda” over her comments about U.S.-funded biolabs in Ukraine and said that “her treasonous lies may well cost lives.”
Romney has worked very, very hard to be viewed as a relatively reasonable guy, but there’s no doubt he made a mistake when he suggested that Gabbard is guilty of treason. There are legitimate criticisms to be made, but the T-word only serves to convey the message that Romney is just throwing words at the wall in the hopes that one of them will stick. It’s not an ideal strategy, and Mitt’s ultimately hurting himself more than he is Gabbard.
This morning, Gabbard called on Romney to put up or shut up and apologize.
So, Senator Romney, you have a choice: out of pride, continue to deny the truth or admit you are wrong, apologize, and resign.
Aloha.
And remember that without the truth, we can be neither safe nor free.
— Tulsi Gabbard 🌺 (@TulsiGabbard) March 14, 2022
Regardless of whether or not you agree with Tulsi Gabbard on any particular issue, it’s hard to argue that she’s not pretty fearless when it comes to defending herself. She doesn’t back down.
But maybe she can still take some comfort in knowing that Glenn Greenwald is ready to back her up if she ever decides she needs it. Last night, Greenwald got to work taking Mitt Romney to task, and he’s still at it today:
Mitt Romney skipped Vietnam and all other military service. Romney has five sons, none of whom served (he said in 2012: they served their country by "helping me get elected").
He's here to say Iraq War veteran and Army Lt. Col. @TulsiGabbard is a traitor, maybe a Russian agent. https://t.co/O7Pysbj1AK
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) March 13, 2022
Needless to say, Greenwald’s not feeling very generous when it comes to indulging Romney’s criticisms of Gabbard:
Romney: My Sons Serve Their Country By Campaigning For Mehttps://t.co/GUADEev7Dj
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) March 13, 2022
I haven't seen treason accusations tossed around this casually and recklessly since 2002, when @DavidFrum was writing Bush's speeches. Beyond all the other reasons Romney's innuendo is so rancid, "treason" has a very narrow definition. This isn't close:https://t.co/QxW2wVn8f5
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) March 13, 2022
Romney has basically made a speciality out of his life: urging US wars while demanding that other people's less wealthy Americans families go fight and die in them: never him or his sons.https://t.co/Wj7Ath5BYh
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) March 13, 2022
On the left: @MittRomney, posing for a pictorial representation of his life and the values that define it.
On the right: @TulsiGabbard in a photo representation of her life values.
Only in rotted DC would the former be cheered for recklessly accusing the latter of "treason." pic.twitter.com/TABG0j1cti
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) March 14, 2022
Treason is one of the gravest crimes an American can commit, if not the gravest: a capital offense. If @MittRomney really believes Tulsi is guilty of "treason," why isn't he denouncing the Biden DOJ for not prosecuting her for it?
That's what one would do if one believed that.
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) March 14, 2022
That’s not an unfair question.
I think the only thing worse than publicly and recklessly accusing a person of being guilty of "treason" is branding them with that accusation when you don't even believe it's true. Regarding Tulsi, Romney did one or the other. His actions suggest the latter.
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) March 14, 2022
Mitt Romney is free to disagree with Tulsi Gabbard. And he’s free to call her out and criticize her. But if he’s going to pull the “Treason” card, he’d better have the receipts. Otherwise, he’s just sliming her to slime her.
And as a victim of smear campaigns himself, Romney should be more thoughtful than that.
