Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has come under fire for going 274 days without a press conference, but her running mate insists that’s not true: She’s done one.
Tim Kaine, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, said Sunday that he wanted 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,” Mr. Kaine said on ABC’s “This Week.” “And she did a press conference there. And members of mainstream media outlets, television networks, asked her questions during that press conference.”
He was referring to an event following her Aug. 5 speech to the National Association of Black Journalists/National Association of Hispanic Journalists in Washington, D.C., at which she took two questions from moderators and three additional questions from journalists.
As far as reporters covering the Clinton campaign were concerned, however, that didn’t count.
“It’s not a press conference,” said Bloomberg reporter Jennifer Epstein on Twitter afterward.
The Poynter Institute described it a “mini-press conference of sorts,” while AP reporter Lisa Lerer said in a tweet that, “I would not exactly call a couple Qs from preselected journalists a press conference.”
The last time she held a bona fide press conference was Dec. 5, but Mr. Kaine said she would be more accessible after the unofficial start of the campaign season on Labor Day.
“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 Nov. 8,” Mr. Kaine said.
He also insisted that she has “had hundreds of interviews in the last year.”
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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