Kaine dodges on VP talk, knocks Trump
.@timkaine: When I hear Trump say, 'The American military is a disaster,' I want to… shake the guy https://t.co/Bwbwgc74DH
— Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) June 15, 2016
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), a top vice presidential prospect, dodged on Wednesday when asked whether Hillary Clinton’s campaign has been in touch about such a position.
“I am playing one role and only one role for the Clinton campaign right now, and that’s trying to help her win Virginia,” Kaine said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
{mosads}”The only role I’m playing is trying to help win Virginia and that’s plenty enough work for me,” Kaine added when pressed a second time whether the Clinton campaign had reached out to vet him as a potential running mate.
Despite refusing to answer, Kaine went to bat for Clinton, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, slamming her Republican presidential rival, Donald Trump, for peddling “discriminatory” comments on several minority groups.
“His comments about Muslim-Americans, they would turn on its head this Virginia value, this American value, of religious tolerance,” Kaine said.
“I’ve never met Trump and I’ve never had any interest in meeting him, but his words are patently discriminatory based on religion, based on disability — offensive things about women,” Kaine said.
Asked if Trump’s remarks were racist, Kaine responded, “Well, I think they are, the comments are. The comments are definitely discriminatory, and they don’t have a place in this society.”
Kaine previewed Clinton’s attack Wednesday in Virginia, knocking Trump for his comments “on the birthday of the Army” on Tuesday when Trump “insinuated that American soldiers were stealing money in Iraq.”
“When I hear Donald Trump say the American military is a disaster, I want to go through the screen and shake the guy,” said Kaine, who serves on the Armed Services Committee.
Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks insisted the candidate was “referring to Iraqi soldiers” in a speech Tuesday when he questioned whether soldiers may have been responsible for the reconstruction funds lost during the Iraq War.
“I want to know, who were the soldiers that had the job?” Trump wondered aloud at a campaign event. “Because I think they’re living very well right now, whoever they might be.”
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