Politico: Tulsi Gabbard's daredevil act

Not a puff piece, but not a hit job either. She addresses Trojan horse accusations at the end (bolded). In respect of the DU rule I included only the last 4 paragraphs:
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By CHRISTOPHER CADELAGO, ERIN DURKIN and DANIEL STRAUSS 08/08/2019 05:02 AM EDT

With her attack on Kamala Harris and defense of Joe Biden, the Hawaii congresswoman is stoking speculation about her endgame.

(snip)

In the lead-up to the most recent debate, Gabbard hinted that she would criticize Harris but not Biden, unlike other Democrats. Gabbard also said that Harris’ criticism of Biden’s positions on busing for desegregation was really “a false accusation that Biden is a racist.” A spokesman for Biden’s campaign declined to comment on Gabbard. On Wednesday, Gabbard was at a co-working space in Manhattan with more than 100 supporters. The focus was on her presidential campaign, and some were wearing leis and chanting “Tulsi.”

Gabbard still needs to register at least 2 percent in three more polls to make the next debate. So she’s been instructing her supporters to answer calls from unknown numbers in the unlikely case they are from a pollster. Mixed in with her talk about the need to end costly regime-change wars and stand up to powerful interests, hallmarks of her speeches, Gabbard alluded to the heat she's gotten since the debate.

“It is about the truth and speaking truth to power. It’s amazing how power reacts to the truth,” she said at the New York gathering.“Because what happened after last Wednesday night? Was the truth responded to with facts, substance or issues?” Urged on by the crowd, she summed up her view of the backlash: “Smears.” “They responded by calling you a puppet of Assad,” a supporter cried out.

Also "smeared," said Gabbard, were Iraq War opponents in the post-9/11 era. “It’s popular today to say, ‘Yes of course I was against the war in Iraq.’ It’s an easy thing for politicians to say today. But what about standing up courageously and speaking against the regime-change wars that are happening today?” she asked. “The gall that these people have now today to try to smear me and tell me that I don’t love my country, that I’m a Trojan horse for some foreign country, that I’m a Russian, whatever you want to call it," she added. The suggestion "that my oath and loyalties lie anywhere but to the country and to the people I have sworn to put my life on the line for is offensive.”

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/08/08/tulsi-gabbard-kamala-harris-2020-1452578