Kaine: Trump Seems ‘Confused’
Hillary Clinton’s running mate, Tim Kaine, said that he “absolutely” finds Donald Trump to be “confused,” citing the GOP presidential nominee’s “bogus” statements that he saw an American plane full of cash land in Iran.
“I absolutely think he’s confused,” Kaine said during an August 5 interview with CBS News, reports ABC.
The vice presidential candidate went on to suggest that perhaps Trump was “thinking about Iran-Contra from 35 years ago or something like this.”
“Perception is one thing, reality matters more,” said the Virginia senator. “We got hostages home and we took a legal claim, that was a legit claim, and bargained it down to a fraction and we paid that claim off. That’s the reality.”
Though the cash payment is well-documented, after news broke this week that the $400 million cash payment arrived in Iran on the same day that the Iranian government released four U.S. prisoners. While the White House has said that the payment was sent to settle an arms deal from many years ago, some people, including Trump, have said that the money was actually a ransom payment.
“A tape was made — you saw that?” Trump asked his crowd at a Maine rally, according to CNN. “With the airplane coming in, nice plane … and the money coming off, I guess.”
He went on to say that the Iranians released the tape to “embarrass our country and embarrass our government.”
The Republican nominee eventually acknowledged that he had made a mistake regarding the footage, which Kaine called a “bogus video claim,” according to ABC.
“I don’t know Donald Trump, so I’m not going to make any comment about mental capacity,” Kaine said. “I don’t know him. But again, when you say things, they reveal who you are. And when somebody shows you who they are, you ought to trust that.”
When asked if he would do the same as Obama in the situation, Clinton’s running mate said he would “negotiate any legal claim we had” and that he would “try to get the best deal” possible while ensuring the release of the hostages.