Kamala Harris rips into Tulsi Gabbard for being an Assad apologist and Fox News regular who criticizes her own party

• The fifth 2020 Democratic debate took place in Atlanta, Georgia, on Wednesday night after a lengthy day of impeachment hearings. 
• Early on in the debate, Sen. Kamala Harris issued the first heated attack of the night, excoriating Rep. Tulsi Gabbard over her frequent Fox News appearances and criticism of the Democratic party.
• Harris also went after Gabbard over her controversial record regarding Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
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During the fifth 2020 Democratic presidential debate on Wednesday night, Sen. Kamala Harris of California ripped into Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii over her frequent Fox News appearances and criticism of the Democratic Party. 

The heated exchange began after Gabbard was asked about her recent criticism of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who during an October interview suggested the Hawaii lawmaker was being groomed by the GOP to be a third-party candidate. Clinton also referred to Gabbard as a "favorite of the Russians."

In her first question of the night, Gabbard was asked to explain why she believes Clinton is the "rot" of the Democratic party. 

Gabbard said the party "continues to be influenced by the foreign policy establishment represented by Hillary Clinton and others."

The Hawaii lawmaker said she was running to end the "Bush-Clinton-Trump foreign policy doctrine of regime-change wars."

Harris was asked to respond to Gabbard's remarks and she did not hold back. 

'It's unfortunate that we have someone on this stage … who during the Obama administration spent four years on Fox News criticizing President Obama," Harris said. "What we need on this stage, in November, is someone who has the ability to win."

Harris also went after Gabbard over her controversial record regarding Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and her refusal to explicitly refer to him as a war criminal. 

The California senator said Gabbard "fails to call a war criminal by what he is - a war criminal."

This article will continue to be updated.