Sen. Tim Kaine on Monday attacked Donald Trump after a report raised questions about the size of the billionaire businessman’s debt and his ties to China, saying, “He’s got to start being straight with the American people.”
“We’re learning about all the debts that he’s run up,” Kaine said. “This weekend, The New York Times reported that Donald Trump owes at least $650 million and probably more to Wall Street and at least one shadow bank. And through his business partnerships, he’s linked to an additional $2 billion in debt to a variety of lenders, including Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, and interestingly enough, the state-owned Bank of China.”
“This is who Donald Trump is in hoc to, the state-owned Bank of China. Think about that,” Kaine told a room of union members at the Ironworkers International 43rd Convention in Las Vegas.
“Trump’s never mentioned a word of this. We only know this because a newspaper did some digging through his complicated financial situation. He’s at the center of a vast global web of financial relationships. He owes a fortune to institutions at home and overseas,” Kaine added.
Clinton’s running mate called on the Republican nominee to be more transparent about how he would “deal with conflicts posed by his business dealings” if he were elected president.
“He’s got to start being straight with the American people about this,” Kaine said. “We’ve got to know who Donald Trump’s beholden to because we don’t want to be tricked by Trump. Right now, you know, he refuses to tell us.”
The Clinton campaign also has called on Trump to release his tax returns, which Trump has said he won’t do because of an IRS audit.
