Kaine blasts Trump’s rigged election rhetoric

Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine blasted Donald Trump on Thursday for the GOP presidential nominee’s refusal to say he’ll accept the results of November’s election, framing it as an attack on a “basic pillar” of American democracy. 

{mosads}Speaking in North Carolina one day after the final presidential debate, the Virginia senator said America is “fortunate” to have the peaceful transfer of power as a basic tenant. 

But “Donald Trump doesn’t accept that.” 

“He’s run his whole campaign insulting one group after another,” Kaine said. 

“It’s like, when he ran out of groups to insult, ‘I know what I will do, insult our democratic traditions,'” he added, mimicking Trump. 

Trump’s refusal Wednesday night to say he’d accept the election results regardless of the outcome has drawn significant criticism from both sides of the aisle as Clinton allies race to use it as proof that Trump is unfit to lead. 

Kaine hammered that point home on Thursday, while also criticizing Trump for refusing to admit that Russia is behind the recent hacks of the Democratic National Committee and other party organs. 

Noting that Trump gets national security briefings as the Republican nominee, Kaine accused the top of the GOP ticket of ignoring the facts.  

“He has been told by the top intelligence officials in this country exactly what’s going on, but for some reason, he wants to stand up and be Vladimir Putin’s lawyer,” Kaine said, referring to the Russian president.

Kaine said he hopes voters would turn out to vote against Trump in order to “send a message to every other country” not to meddle in America’s elections.