(CP) Former Democratic presidential candidate and congresswoman, Tulsi Gabbard, called on "independent-minded Democrats" to join her Tuesday morning as she announced her exit from the Democratic Party, citing a raft of concerns including the party's "cowardly wokeness," their stoking of anti-white racism, hostility to people of faith and elitism.
"I can no longer remain in today's Democratic Party that is now under the complete control of an elitist cabal of warmongers driven by cowardly wokeness, who divide us by racializing every issue & stoke anti-white racism," Gabbard began in a statement shared on Twitter Tuesday with her 1.6 million followers.
The Democratic Party, she alleges, "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."
Under President Joe Biden the Justice Department has indicted 11 pro-life activists for "organizing an event blockading an abortion clinic," she added.
"They didn't use physical force. They weren't dangerous. But seven of them are facing 11 years in prison and fines of $250,000. The Biden DOJ and Department of Homeland Security has focused their newly formed Domestic Terror Unit to target parents who are vocally standing in opposition to radical curriculums and explicit sexual content being taught to young children in our public schools — labeling parents as 'terrorists' for showing up at school board meetings and demanding change."
Gabbard, who delivered her statement in writing and a video clip lasting just over one minute, further discussed her reasons for leaving the Democratic Party in the first episode of "The Tulsi Gabbard Show" which was also launched on Tuesday.
"I believe in a government that is of, by, and for the people. Unfortunately, today's Democratic Party does not. Instead, it stands for a government of, by, and for the powerful elite," she continued before calling on "independent-minded Democrats" to join her.
"I'm calling on my fellow common sense independent-minded Democrats to join me in leaving the Democratic Party. If you can no longer stomach the direction that so-called woke Democratic Party ideologues are taking our country, I invite you to join me," she urged.
Gabbard, 41, is a veteran who served in Iraq with the Hawaii Army National Guard. She was also the youngest person to win a seat in the Hawaii Legislature and the first Hindu woman in Congress.
When she decided not to run for re-election in 2019, she cited her presidential aspirations. While Gabbard embraced left-leaning domestic policy, according to The Washington Post, her allegiance to the Democratic Party has long been under question.
As she sought the nomination of the Democratic Party during her presidential bid in 2019, Hillary Clinton, who was the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, accused her of being a "Russian asset."
"I'm not making any predictions, but I think they've got their eye on somebody who is currently in the Democratic primary and are grooming her to be the third-party candidate," Clinton said on a podcast with David Plouffe, an adviser to former President Barack Obama.
"She's the favorite of the Russians, they have a bunch of sites and bots and other ways of supporting her so far, and — that's assuming Jill Stein will give it up, which she might not, because she is also a Russian asset — yeah, she's a Russian asset! I mean totally!"
Responding to Clinton's comments that year, Gabbard said she was attacked by Clinton because Clinton "knows she can't control me."
"This is a message to every veteran in this country who has put their life on the line to serve our country, to every single American who believes strongly that we must end this long-standing foreign policy of being the world's police," Gabbard told CBS News. "And ending these regime-change wars, which is really the legacy of Hillary Clinton."
