Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has twice rebuffed efforts to serve her with Democratic presidential hopeful Tulsi Gabbard’s "Russian asset" defamation lawsuit, even using the Secret Service to fend off the paperwork.
Secret Service agents first barred the process server from Clinton’s Chappaqua, New York home on Tuesday, directing them to her lawyer, David Kendall, in Washington, DC, Gabbard's own attorney Brian Dunne told the New York Post on Wednesday. When they attempted to serve the lawsuit the following day at Kendall’s firm, Williams & Connolly, however, the lawyer insisted he was unable to accept them on Clinton’s behalf.
Also on rt.com Defamation suit aims to stop Hillary and her ‘powerful elite friends’ from silencing patriotic Americans, Gabbard saysIt’s not clear if Kendall sent the process server on a wild goose chase of his own - Dunne told the Post his team is “weighing next steps” - but seemed surprised the former First Lady would go to such great lengths to dodge the suit. “I find it rather unbelievable that Hillary Clinton is so intimidated by Tulsi Gabbard that she won’t accept service of process,” he marveled, “but I guess here we are.”
Gabbard is suing the two-time also-ran presidential candidate for $50 million over comments Clinton made on a podcast in October calling the Hawaii congresswoman a “Russian asset” and “the favorite of the Russians,” charging the allegations were made with “obvious malicious intent” in an effort to harm her campaign. In a statement accompanying the lawsuit, Gabbard explained her reasons for pursuing the unofficial queen of the Democratic Party, who still wields considerable power despite no longer holding or running for elected office: “if Hillary Clinton and her allies can successfully destroy my reputation - even though I’m a war veteran and a sitting member of Congress - then they can do it to anybody.”
Clinton has not responded since the suit was filed over a week ago, remaining in the background while her loyalists in the Democratic Party denounced the “publicity stunt.” While legal experts opining on the case have disagreed on whether or not Gabbard has a shot at obtaining financial reparations for the harm allegedly done to her campaign, the congresswoman’s request for a jury trial might in and of itself be enough to spook Clinton, whose last appearance in court - being questioned about her emails - has been relentlessly pilloried ever since.
Social media had a field day with the notion that “Crooked Hillary” was once again running from justice.
Others joked that Gabbard would end up “suicided.”
Some pointed out that Clinton accomplished nothing by avoiding the process server - aside from venting spite, of course.
Like this story? Share it with a friend!