On Thursday, the “big three” networks of ABC, CBS, and NBC saw no interest in reporting that a possible Hillary Clinton vice presidential running mate had accepted more $160,000 in gifts while an elected official in Virginia as the veepstakes moves into its later stages.
In a piece published early Thursday morning by Politico, Democratic Senator Tim Kaine (Va.) admitted he had accepted “more than $160,000 in gifts from 2001 to 2009, mostly for travel to and from political events and conferences” and included an “$18,000 Caribbean vacation, $5,500 in clothes and a trip to watch George Mason University play in the NCAA Basketball Final Four.”
The article also detailed how “givers included political supporters, a drug company that soon after bought a facility in Virginia, and Dominion, the state’s biggest provider of electricity” and were legally disclosed as per Virginia law.
ABC, CBS, and NBC yawned at story they surely would have been all over it involved a possible Republican vice presidential nominee but somehow, MSNBC’s Hardball found it worth devoting over a minute to on Thursday thanks to host Chris Matthews.
Matthews explained that “[t]he presidential veepstakes are gearing up and today, two prospective running mates are making some news” but “[n]ot all of it good” for Kaine and he went onto read excerpts from Politico.
Speaking with the Hardball Rountable, Matthews predicted that the story won’t amount to much of anything but nonetheless “seems to have a certain scent to it because we had this big Supreme Court case about his successor or his predecessor down there.”
However, Matthews expressed confusion at the idea of Kaine accepting clothes and how that’d work:
[E]xplain to me the clothes thing. How does somebody give you clothes? I mean, I just don’t get. Hey, anybody, want some clothes? I got clothes for you. It seems like an odd gift from a friend. I can see, hey, you want to go out for a steak dinner tonight? That's one thing. Hey, come on out, I'll buy you some clothes. It seems strange.
Instead of covering Kaine or the murder of an Israeli-American at the hands of a Palestinian terrorist, the networks spent six minutes and six seconds on the Defense Department’s lifting of a ban on having transgender people serve openly in the military.
The relevant portions of the transcript from MSNBC’s Hardball on June 30 can be found below.
MSNBC’s Hardball
June 30, 2016
7:42 p.m. Eastern
CHRIS MATTHEWS: The presidential veepstakes are gearing up and today, two prospective running mates are making some news. Not all of it good. On the Democratic side, Politico reported today that Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, a leading contender to become Hillary Clinton’s running mate, quote: “...reported more than $160,000 in gifts from 2001 to 2009, mostly for travel to and from political events and conferences. According to disclosures compiled by the Virginia Public Access Project.” Anyway, “the givers included political supporters, a drug company that soon after bought a facility in Virginia, and Dominion, the state’s biggest provider of electricity.” Well, according to this report, Senator Kaine received an “$18,000 Caribbean vacation, $5,500 in clothes and a trip to watch George Mason University play in the NCAA Basketball Final Four.” All the gifts were legal under Virginia law and unlike his successor, former Governor Bob McDonnell, all the gifts were properly disclosed publicly on paper.
(....)
7:44 p.m. Eastern
MATTHEWS: This — I think I’ve laid it out. This guy has taken a lot of gifts, it seems to have a certain scent to it because we had this big Supreme Court case about his successor or his predecessor down there.
JAMAL SIMMONS: Right. Apparently he took gifts, according to Politico, he went to a donor's house in the Caribbean, he maybe went to a basketball game but in Virginia these things are allowed.
MATTHEWS: And explain to me the clothes thing. How does somebody give you clothes? I mean, I just don’t get. Hey, anybody, want some clothes? I got clothes for you. It seems like an odd gift from a friend. I can see, hey, you want to go out for a steak dinner tonight? That's one thing. Hey, come on out, I'll buy you some clothes. It seems strange. Laura Bassett?
LAURA BASSETT: He overreported the gifts.
MATTHEWS: Does it smell?
BASSETT: I don't think it smells. He stayed at a friend's house in the caribbean, paid for all his own expenses. He overreported everything and he didn't do anything illegal. It's all within the bounds of Virginia law.
MATTHEWS: So he's still in the running? Still in the running?
SIMMONS: I think he's still in the running but is not the best choice.
MATTHEWS: David Catanese?
DAVID CATANESE: I think he is the best choice and he's still in the running and he can overcome this.
MATTHEWS: Has he ever given you clothes?
CATANESE: No. He’s never given me clothes, no, but look, I think he can overcome this if he is conciliatory, talks about reform. You turns —
MATTHEWS: Does he have to say it was wrong of what he did? Does he have to issue one of these apologies?
CATANESE: No. He should stress that it was completely legal in Virginia. Look, McDonnell just got off because of all this.
SIMMONS: My theory is Democrats leaked this story, perhaps even Tim Kaine. They have got to inoculate them if they are going to appoint him vice president.
MATTHEWS: Okay, I don’t think so. A spokesperson tells Hardball, quote, “During his eight years as lieutenant governor and governor, Senator Kaine went beyond the requirements of Virginia law, even publicly disclosing gifts of value beneath the reporting threshold. He’s confident he met both the letter and spirit of Virginia's ethical standards.” Are Virginia's ethical standards good enough?
CATANESE: No.
MATTHEWS: Okay good.
