Sen. Tim Kaine (D., Va.) avoided answering a question on the trustworthiness of Hillary Clinton at Tuesday's vice-presidential debate, completely ignoring the topics of her private email scandal and accusations of pay-for-play at the State Department through the Clinton Foundation.
Kaine was asked the question at the beginning of the debate by moderator Elaine Quijano but did not address either scandal.
"On the campaign trail, you praised Secretary Clinton's character, including her commitment to public service. Yet 60 percent of voters don't think she's trustworthy," Quijano said. "Why do so many people distrust her? Is it because they have questions about her emails and the Clinton foundation?"
Kaine did not answer why so many Americans view the former Secretary of State as untrustworthy and instead went on to describe why he personally trusts his running mate.
"Hillary Clinton has that passion, from time as a kid in a Methodist youth group in the suburbs of Chicago, she has been focused on serving others with a special focus on empowering families and kids," Kaine said. "As a civil rights lawyer in the south, with the Children's Defense Fund, First Lady of Arkansas and this country, Senator, Secretary of State, it's always been about putting others first."
Clinton has struggled to prove to Americans that she is trustworthy and honest during her presidential campaign. In an Economist/YouGov Poll taken at the beginning of October, 55 percent of respondents said that Clinton was not honest or trustworthy. Her trustworthy numbers have been underwater during her presidential campaign due to scandals surrounding her private email server when she served as Secretary of State and the access to the State Department given to Clinton Foundation donors.