Gabbard: Romney should resign over charge she was a traitor

Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard said Sen. Mitt Romney should apologize and resign after he accused her of being treasonous for repeating Russian claims about U.S. support of for a network of biological labs in Ukraine.

Ms. Gabbard, a four-term Democrat from Hawaii, said she was concerned about the safety of biological labs in a war-torn country like Ukraine, not whether the U.S. was involved in manufacturing chemical weapons there. She said all the parties involved in the conflict in Ukraine should declare a cease-fire until the labs are secured and any pathogens have been eliminated.

The controversy over the labs has been a new talking point for the Kremlin in the midst of the ongoing invasion of neighboring Ukraine. Chinese officials have also fanned the controversy, and Mr. Romney, a Utah Republican and former GOP candidate for president, this week called out Ms. Gabbard from amplifying the claims.

“Tulsi Gabbard is parroting false Russian propaganda. Her treasonous lies may well cost lives,” Mr. Romney said in a Twitter message.

On Tuesday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said claims by Russia that the U.S. had backed biological labs and chemical weapons in Ukraine were “absurd.”