Democratic vice presidential nominee and Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine on Sunday touted Hillary Clinton’s press accessibility yet refused to say if she would hold a press conference. He also accused Republican nominee Donald Trump’s campaign of “acting like Putin and other dictators.”
“We are not banning press outlets from covering public events,” Kaine told guest host Martha Raddatz on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday. “All the time, as Hillary’s out on the trail, she’s talking to the press, hundreds of interviews. I’m doing the same. The labor day to election day stretch that’s going to ramp up even more.”
“We are not a campaign that is acting like Putin and other dictators and banning press outlets from even attending public events,” he added. “That’s un-American, but that’s what Donald Trump is doing.” (RELATED: Tim Kaine Can’t Defend Hillary’s Russian Reset [VIDEO])
Many Putin critics have been mysteriously found dead, most recently Ukranian journalist Alexander Shchetinin. (RELATED: Journalist Critical Of Putin Found Dead On His Birthday)
“So we can expect a press conference, yes or no?” Raddatz asked Kaine.
“There’s been one in the last month, and you’re going to see Hillary very, very accessible to the press, as I will be between now and November 8th,” he replied.
The Clinton campaign has claimed that her August 5 speech at the National Association of Black Journalists was a press conference, but only five journalists were pre-selected to ask questions.
Politifact notes Clinton hasn’t had an actual press conference in 274 days. (RELATED: Trump Holds Press Conference In Mexico, Hillary Hasn’t Given America One In 270 Days)