Virginia Democrat Sen. Tim Kaine accepted thousands of dollars in trips and clothing during his years as lieutenant governor and governor,disclosures he filed show, Politico reported.
Kaine, a reported contender as Hillary Clinton’s running mate, may face issues with this situation. Although legal in Virginia, the potential for attack ad bait following corruption charges against former Republican Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell. The Supreme Court overturned McDonnell’s conviction on Monday.
Regardless of Virginia’s more relaxed gift laws, which allowed for Kaine did receive the gifts, perception could harm the senator’s chances to make it on to the Democratic presidential ticket.
Kaine’s defenders tell Politico that the gifts he received were not attached to any effort of quid pro quo exchange for government favors, which they accuse McDonnell of engaging in.
“During his eight years as lieutenant governor and governor, Sen. Kaine went beyond the requirements of Virginia law, even publicly disclosing gifts of value beneath the reporting threshold,” a spokesperson told Politico. “He’s confident that he met both the letter and the spirit of Virginia’s ethical standards.”
“The danger here is that there’s already a narrative on Hillary Clinton: It’s crooked cronyism, and any pick or any other action that drives that narrative is going to be bad for her,” said Matt Moon, a former Republican National Committee deputy research director. “If you’re on the Clinton campaign side, you want to look at potential vulnerabilities in how a VP pick would drive an opposition narrative.”