Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” Democratic vice-presidential nominee Tim Kaine dodged the direct question on if Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton will hold a press conference.
Partial transcript as follows:
RADDATZ; OK, let’s talk about relationships with the press and you talk about Donald Trump. Secretary Clinton has not held a press conference in 274 days. You argue that she’s talked to press on the campaign trail, but our campaign reporters and others say she doesn’t really answer that many questions. Is this going to change?
KAINE: Martha, she’s had hundreds interviews in the last year. And I got to push back on the notion that she hasn’t done a press conference. She gave a speech to the National Association of Black Journalists within the last month where there were also journalists, Hispanic journalists, there. And she did a press conference there. And members of mainstream media outlets, television networks, asked her questions during that press conference.
We’re about to switch into a phase of the campaign where we will be on planes and the press will be on the planes with us, which is something that Donald Trump does not allow. We are not banning press outlets from covering public events. And so, look, all the time as Hillary is 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, it’s going to ramp up even more. But we’re not a campaign that is acting like Putin and other dictators and banning press outlets from even attending public events. That’s not American but that’s what Donald Trump is doing.
RADDATZ; So we can expect a press conference, yes or no?
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 8.
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