On Thursday night, Democratic congresswoman and former 2020 presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard confirmed on the eve of the last night of the Democratic National Convention that no one invited her to participate, even though she received delegates during the primaries.
“You’re correct — I was not invited to participate in any way,” Gabbard responded to a supporter on Twitter who pointed out that, traditionally, candidates who receive delegates are offered an opportunity to address the convention, but not Gabbard.
You're correct – I was not invited to participate in any way. https://t.co/zQBOQB8Zw7
— Tulsi Gabbard ? (@TulsiGabbard) August 20, 2020
The supporter also wrote, “Although I doubt she would have accepted, the lack of invitation once again exposes the blatant DNC bias and Hillary Clinton proxies that have pursued Tulsi this entire time.”
As the convention began, CNN’s Jake Tapper backed Gabbard’s claim, tweeting that she had told him prior that she was not invited and no explanation was given.
“Rep @TulsiGabbard tells me she was not invited to participate in the convention in any way, she was not told why,” Tapper tweeted. “She’s currently on a plane headed to Alaska, on her way to an Army Reserve mission to help out a small Alaska Native tribe with some critical infrastructure issues.”
Rep @TulsiGabbard tells me she was not invited to participate in the convention in any way, she was not told why. She’s currently on a plane headed to Alaska, on her way to an Army Reserve mission to help out a small Alaska Native tribe with some critical infrastructure issues.
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) August 21, 2020
Gabbard had one of the most memorable moments of the Democratic presidential debates when she went after fellow candidate and now vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris on her anti-progressive record on criminal justice reform, noting that Harris laughed about jailing people for marijuana possession during an interview.
Kamala Harris is Joe Biden’s pick for VP
So here’s a video of her getting absolutely bodied by @TulsiGabbard
— Will Chamberlain (@willchamberlain) August 11, 2020
Gabbard won two pledged delegates during the primaries and remained in the race longer than Harris, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and Senator Amy Klobuchar.
Rep. Gabbard successfully appealed to many conservatives, libertarians and independents by focusing, as a military veteran, on criticizing interventionist foreign policy, an appeal similar to the “America First” critique of past presidents made by President Trump throughout his presidency.
This piece originally appeared in ThePoliticalInsider.com and is used by permission.
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