Tim Kaine

Tim Kaine

Tim Kaine is the former Chairman of the Democratic National Committee and former Governor of Virginia.

Tim Kaine , entered the US Senate with the 2012 elections, as a (Virginia Democrat).

In July 2016 Hillary Clinton chose Tim Kaine as her vice-presidential running mate.

Background

Born in Minnesota and raised near Kansas City, Tim Kaine grew up working in his father’s ironworking shop. A graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia with a bachelor’s in economics, Kaine later attended Harvard Law School where he earned his law degree. He took a year off during his law school education to work as a Jesuit missionary in Honduras, where he put his ironworking experience to use as the principal of a technical school.

Kaine practiced law for 17 years representing people who had been denied housing opportunities based on race or disability and has been recognized as a fair housing advocate by organizations around the country. Kaine also began teaching legal ethics at the University of Richmond Law School, which he has continued to do throughout his career.

Kaine’s participation in politics began in 1994 when he was elected to the Richmond City Council. He went on to become mayor of Richmond four years later. During his two terms as mayor, Richmond saw a significant drop in the city’s crime rate and began building the first new schools in a generation.

Following his tenure as mayor, he was elected Lieutenant Governor of Virginia and, in 2005, Kaine was elected Governor. During his term, the state was given a variety of honors including: Best Managed State in America, Best State for Business and a AAA bond rating for fiscal management. He left office with one of the highest popularity ratings of a large state governor in the country.

Liberation Theology

He was only 22 years-old, and he was only there for nine months. But U.S. Senator and Democratic vice-presidential hopeful Tim Kaine credits the time he spent with a Jesuit community in Honduras as so formative and influential that it would spark the beginning of his thirty-plus-year political career.

Yet far from an idyllic situtation of youthful self-searching, Kaine encountered a deeply complex and violent political scenario - one that he would later describe as "the turning point" in his life.

Kaine has touted his experience in Honduras as one where he “got a firsthand look at a dictatorship. A dictatorship where a few people at the top had all the power and everybody else got left out.”

Born into a Catholic family, Kaine attended the Jesuit prep school Rockhurst High in Kansas City. There he participated in mission drives to fund the Jesuits' activities in Honduras, visiting the country briefly in 1974 to present the proceeds.

In 2014 he told Rockhurst's newspaper, Prep News Online, that “I vowed to return one day and was able to take a year off law school in 1980-81 to go back and volunteer with wonderful Missouri province Jesuits and their Spanish and Honduran counterparts, who worked hard everyday to live and preach the Good News among the poor in Yoro Province.”

“What I learned that year from the Jesuits and the comunidad put me on a public service path that has now stretched to 30+ years as a civil rights lawyer, teacher and elected official,” he continued.

According to the Washington Post, Kaine said in 2005: “I made a decision when I came back from Honduras … that I am not going to focus on making as much money as I can make. I am going to focus on doing things where I can serve people.”

In a 2010 interview with CNN, Kaine described his time in Honduras, when he was 22, as “the turning point in my life. I was at Harvard Law School and didn't know what I wanted to do with my life … The most powerful memory was the great people I met there who convinced me that a life of serving others was the way to be happy.”

And during a November 2014 visit to Honduras, Kaine stated that “I think of El Progreso everyday. The people, aside from my family, are the most important in shaping who I am today.”

El Progreso is the city, located fewer than 20 miles southeast of San Pedo Sula, where Kaine spent nine months volunteering with the Jesuits.

He visited the city again in February 2015, commenting, “El Progreso is extremely special to me. My experience working at Loyola taught me the importance of access to skills-based training – both in Honduras and the U.S. – and inspired me to pursue the issue of expanding career and technical education in the U.S. Senate.”

In a June 7, 2016 interview with C-SPAN, Kaine said that his experience with the Jesuits put him “in a seeker mode where it pushed (him) not to just accept what (he) had been taught” but encouraged him to seek his “own answers.” The Jesuits, he said, were an important part of his transition to adulthood, where he didn’t just accept the answers he was given by what he has described as his devout, Irish Catholic parents.

At the time of Kaine's 1980-81 volunteer work in Honduras, the country has been ruled by the military for 17 years. He told Prep News Online that “when I lived in Honduras under a military dictatorship that deprived people of even the right to vote, I learned to value what we have and do my little bit to protect and better it.”

In 1980, each of Honduras' neighbors were gripped in civil wars between right-wing military governments and left-wing revolutionaries: Guatemala's had started in 1960, and El Salvador's in 1979. To the south in Nicaragua, the Sandinista National Liberation Front had ousted the Somoza dictatorship in 1979, but fought counterrevolutionaries throughout the 1980s.

Surrounded by “hot” theaters of the Cold War, Honduras “became the stronghold from which the United States attempted to stabilise the region against the forces of Communism..” .

As early as 1979, Honduras established Battalion 3-16, an army unit “trained and equipped by the CIA to gather intelligence about subversives,” according to the Baltimore Sun. The publication also found in the course of a 14-month investigation that hundreds of Honduran citizens were kidnapped, tortured and killed by Battalion 3-16 in the 1980s.

Honduras' military government held a general election in 1981, which was won by the Liberal Party, a center-right group which had not held power since a 1963 military coup d'état.

It was in this context that Kaine arrived in Honduras in 1980.

In a recent article at The Nation, Dr. Greg Grandin (a professor of history at New York University), wrote that in 1980, Honduras “was quickly turning into the crossroads of Cold War.”

“It was into this whirlwind that young Tim Kaine flung himself on his voyage of self-discovery,” Grandin wrote, adding that “None of this, however, comes across in anything Kaine says about his time in Honduras.”

Kaine's volunteer work with the Jesuits in Honduras has been portrayed as teaching carpentry and welding at the Instituto Tecnico Loyola, which gives vocational training to at-risk youth.

Father Mauricio Gaborit, S.J., whom America Magazine has called a long-distance mentor of Kaine and who met Kaine in 1974 while working in El Progreso, said that during Kaine's 1980-81 visit the young man would visit villages to recruit students for the technical institute, befriend them, and help them to sell the goods they made. Fr. Gaborit said Kaine also taught English and religion classes.

Father Jack Warner, S.J., an American who lived with Kaine in Honduras and who currently lives in El Progreso, told CNA that Kaine's work was mostly focused on the Instituto Tecnico Loyola, but that he also helped with the design of the carpentry of a small theater the priest founded.

Dr. Andres León Araya, a professor of anthroplogy at the University of Costa Rica, has written that the work of the Jesuits in the Aguan valley of northern Honduras “was oriented mainly around organizing and supporting peasant cooperatives.”

“These were all priests influenced by Liberation Theology,” León wrote in his 2015 dissertation for the City University of New York. “They were particularly active in the area of political training, especially through their radio schools – teaching reading and writing as the basis for organization.”

He described the Jesuits as “in the thick of the struggle for land” between farmers and ranchers, but that they “also were usually the first to denounce injustices taking place within the cooperatives (corruption and violence above all).”

León noted the 1975 Horcones massacre as among the events that “shifted the ways in which the Jesuits approached their political work in the communities.”

In June 1975, the bodies of 14 people heading to a hunger march in the capital city Tegucigalpa were found on the Horcones ranch. Among them were two priests, Father Jerome Cypher and Father Ivan Betancourt. León wrote that “Perpetrated by members of the Honduran army with the support of local cattle ranchers, the massacre was understood as an attempt by the military government … to stop the increasing militancy and radicalism of the peasant movement,” which was pushing for land reform.

According to León, in the aftermath of the massacre the Honduran bishops instructed parishes “to lay low and fire anyone affiliated with the left-oriented parties,” which “basically meant a retreat from any open political activity.”

This instruction was extremely distasteful to Father James Carney, S.J., an American-born priest who embraced liberation theology and revolution in the 1970s, and was exiled from Honduras in 1979 for his increasingly radical activities and promotion of Marxist ideology.

Father Carney wrote in his autobiography that after the Horcones massacre “the Catholic hierarchy, the majority of the priests and also the laymen in Honduras retreated from any social commitment and became nonpolitical and very anticommunist.”

Though he was not present in El Progreso while Kaine was there, Father Carney corresponded with the Jesuits in Honduras, encouraging them in their work. He later re-entered Honduras as a chaplain for a leftist guerrilla unit and was “disappeared”, and likely executed, by the Honduran military, in 1983.

After an interview with Kaine, Jason Horowitz wrote in the New York Times Sept. 2 206, that though Father Carney was exiled from Honduras during Kaine's stay, Kaine sought him out “during a short stay in Nicaragua.”

“Mr. Kaine hopped off a bus in northern Nicaragua, walked miles to Father Carney’s remote parish and spent a memorable evening listening to the priest describe 'both getting pushed around by the military and getting pushed around by the church,'” Horowitz said.

He added that Kaine “embraced” liberation theology, saying he told his pastor in Richmond, Va., “that his exposure to liberation theology had 'changed him, it deepened him.'”

According to León, the Jesuits' organization of peasant cooperatives was “thanks to the close relation that existed” between Father Carney and the National Association of Honduran Peasants.

Grandin wrote that the Jesuits were “on the front lines of Central America’s political upheaval. By no means were most Jesuits left wing, but many, perhaps the majority, were at least broadly committed to what was called the 'social gospel.'”

This was echoed by Horowitz, who said that “most of the American Jesuits Mr. Kaine worked with on a daily basis had a more pragmatic streak and rolled their eyes during philosophical debates about liberation theology.”

According to Grandin, when Kaine stayed in Honduras, the Jesuit mission at El Progreso “was focusing its work on labor issues and the welfare of plantations laborers and their families.”

Grandin interviewed Dr. Jefferson Boyer, an emeritus professor of anthropology at Appalacian State University, about the Jesuits in Honduras. Boyer spent six years in Honduras, earning a doctorate with his 1982 dissertation “Agrarian Capitalism and Peasant Praxis in Southern Honduras” after studying economy and peasant movements in the country.

Grandin relates that Boyer remembered a “split” among the “North Coast Jesuits” of Honduras, along the lines of liberation theology and the election of St. John Paul II as Bishop of Rome.

He wrote that Boyer said “the US Jesuits in Honduras tended to be more conservative, while younger Latin American and European Jesuits 'consistently held democratic socialist positions,'” though Father Carney was the exception to this rule.

Kaine's mentor in El Progreso was Father Jarrell Wade, S.J., according to Grandin, who describes the priest as having ethics “more pastoral than political.” He says Boyer called Father Wade a “traditional Jesuit”, and that Father Carney said Father Wade “blamed his political work with peasants for provoking the growing repression against priests.”

Kaine and his wife Anne celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary in November 2004 by visiting El Progreso, where they spent a couple a couple days with Father Wade, according to the Washington Post.

One of the stories Kaine tells about his time with Father Wade – who remained in Honduras until his death in 2014 – is that they visited an impoverished family around Christmas, and the father gave the priest a bag of food as a Christmas gift.

“Kaine said he was shocked and angry that the priest had accepted food from a man whose own children clearly were not getting enough to eat,” Timothy Dwyer wrote in the Washington Post. “For five minutes or more they walked in silence, until the priest turned to Kaine and said: 'Tim, you know you really have to be humble to accept a gift of food from a family that poor.'”

Kaine told the Post: “That one sentence that Patricio said to me is the thing that I have come back to most often in the last 25 years as I try to figure out what to do and what I ought to be doing.”

In his 2010 interview with CNN, Kaine mentioned, alongside Father Wade, Jim O'Leary, a Jesuit brother, and Father Ramon Peis as “people who at a young – at an early time in my life really put me on a path I still feel like I'm on to try to, you know, be of service to others.”

Father Gaborit told America that Kaine, in reflecting on the situation of the poor, “went the route of optimism. He saw himself … helping people.”

Grandin writes that “According to his own account,” Kaine “provided politically neutral technical training, helping with a program that taught carpentry and welding.”

But he quotes Boyer as saying that “if Tim Kaine was working as a Jesuit volunteer in 1980, he could not have avoided become immersed in these socio-religious, political currents and cross-currents. He would have been exposed to both conservative and generally more left and activist work of his hosts and mentors.”

This view was echoed by Father Warner, who told CNA that Kaine would certainly have had contact with the troubled situation in the region at the time.

“At that time (the violence), the force, affected everyone, because the reality of the situation at that time one simply could not escape, there was no way to look in another direction,” he said.

Father Warner spoke to the New York Times about liberation theology, saying that “the gospel is an extremely communist document” and that St. John Paul II's crackdown on liberation theology was “one of the reasons we didn't make too much noise about it.”

And sympathy for Father Carney’s radicalized vision of liberation theology continues today through the work of Father Ismael Moreno Coto, S.J., director of Radio Progreso, who also worked with Kaine during his time in Honduras.

During a September 2015 commemoration of Father Carney's disappearance, Father Moreno called on those in attendance “to follow his [Father Carney's] footsteps and memory of struggling to continue to build a more just and equitable society."

Over the years Father Moreno and Kaine have met both in Washington, D.C. and in El Progreso.

In his most recent visit to Honduras, in 2015, Kaine gave an interview to Radio Progreso, saying, “During my time here I learned many lessons from you, students and their families, Jesuit priests and the Progreso people. The Jesuits inspired me to help people in my life. They are models of values, missionaries who think of others before themselves.”

Nine U.S. Senators Visit Bien Hoa

On April 20, 2019, Vietnam and the U.S. recorded a significant milestone on Agent Orange when Senator Patrick Leahy led a Congressional Delegation of nine U.S. senators to Bien Hoa, a city 20 miles north of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The senators witnessed the signing of a five year $50 million Memorandum of Intent to assist children and young Vietnamese born with disabilities linked to exposure of a parent, grandparent or great grandparent to Agent Orange/dioxin. The delegation also took part in a groundbreaking ceremony for a ten year $300 million project to clean up dioxin residues left by Agent Orange at the Bien Hoa Airbase.

Delegates wer Senators Lisa Murkowski, Rob Portman, Sheldon Whitehouse, Mazie Hirono, Debbie Stabenow, Tammy Baldwin, Tim Kaine, Tom Udall.

Islamic connections

Tim Kaine has a long history of Islamic associations, including some with known Muslim Brotherhood front groups.

MPAC intern

In 2019 Dhuha Baig was a Muslim Public Affairs Council Congressional Leadership Development Program intern in Tim Kaine 's office.

Support for the Council on American Islamic Relations

Tim Kaine wrote a letter of support to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) on the occasion of their 24th anniversary in September 2018.

Arab American Institute's Virginia Candidates’ Night

The Arab American Institute hosted its 15th candidates’ night in northern Virginia on Sept. 30, 2001. The more-than-capacity audience crowded into the room, first to stand in allegiance with their country as Amir Shallal of Langley High School led them in reciting the pledge to the flag, then to hear what their Virginia candidates had to offer them. ity.

After a brief address by Congressman Jim Moran (D-VA), calling on Americans to be a model and to empower people, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mark Warner discussed issues of the budget, education, transportation, and public safety—the latter of particular importance to Arab Americans in an atmosphere of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim backlash following the Sept. 11 attacks. In response to a question, Warner informed the audience that his press secretary was an Arab American, and promised that Arab Americans would be represented in his cabinet if he was elected. Running for lieutenant governor on the same ticket is Richmond Mayor and civil rights attorney Tim Kaine, who made the point that he had already been instrumental in changing the name of the “Mosque Theater” in Richmond to the “Landmark Theater,” and that he would continue to work for civil rights for all.

Arab American Institute, 2011

The International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) reported that former Virginia governor and Senate candidate Tim Kaine spoke at an event at which U.S. Muslim Brotherhood leader Jamal Barzinji was given a Lifetime Achievement award. According to the report:

Northern Virginia’s Arab community gathered at its 23rd annual event in Tysons Corner on September 25th, 2011, with more than 300 leaders, activists and donors attending, and 46 democratic and republican politicians making their pitch for election or re-election to local and State offices. Also speaking at the event was former Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia who is running for the U.S. Senate. This ‘Candidates Night’ dinner, which had been a keynote event of the Arab American Institute for a number of years, is now organized by the political action committee New Dominion PAC. A highlight of the event was the Lifetime Achievement Award presented to Dr. Jamal Barzinji, vice president of International Institute of Islamic Thought. Dr. Jamal Barzinji was recognized for his leadership and accomplishments over a wide spectrum of activities in the American Muslim and Arab community as well as in educational initiatives and endeavors locally and internationally. Basim Mansour, president of Michael & Son Services Company of Alexandria, received the Outstanding Community Service Award at the dinner event. “

Jamal Barzinji is described by Global Muslim Brotherhood Watch as a “founding father of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood.”

He first came on to the FBI’s radar in 1987-1988 when an informant inside the Brotherhood identified Barzinji and his associated groups as being part of a network of Brotherhood fronts to “institute the Islamic Revolution in the United States.” The source said Barzinji and his colleagues were “organizing political support which involves influencing both public opinion in the United States as well as the United States Government” using “political action front groups with no traceable ties.”

Barzinji had his home searched as part of a terrorism investigation in 2003. U.S. Customs Service Senior Special Agent David Kane said in a sworn affidavit that Barzinji and the network of entities he led were investigated because he “is not only closed associated with PIJ [Palestinian Islamic Jihad]…but also with Hamas.” Counter-terrorism reporter Patrick Poole broke the story that Barzinji was nearly prosecuted but the Obama Justice Department dropped plans for indictment.

Barzinji played a major role in nearly every Brotherhood front in the U.S. and was vice president of the International Institute of Islamic Thought, which came under terrorism investigation also. Barzinji’s group was so close to Palestinian Islamic Jihad operative Sami Al-Arian that IIIT’s President considered his group and Al-Arian’s to be essentially one entity.

The indictment of Al-Arian and his colleagues says that they “would and did seek to obtain support from influential individuals, in the United States under the guise of promoting and protecting Arab rights” (emphasis mine).

The quotes about Brotherhood operative Barzinji’s aspirations to use civil rights advocacy as a means to influence politicians are especially relevant when you consider that video from the event honoring Barzinji shows Kaine saying that it was his fourth time at the annual dinner and thankedd his “friends” that organized it for helping him in his campaign for Lieutenant-Governor and Governor and asked them to help his Senate campaign.

Islamist Financial Support

Barzinji’s organization, IIIT, donated $10,000 in 2011 to the New Dominion PAC, the organization that held the event honoring Barzinji that Kaine spoke at. The Barzinji-tied New Dominion PAC donated $43,050 to Kaine’s gubernatorial campaign between 2003 and 2005. That figure doesn’t even include other political recipients that assisted Kaine’s campaign.

The PAC has very strong ties to the Democratic Party in Virginia, with the Virginia Public Access Project tallying almost $257,000 in donations. This likely explains why Barzinji’s grandson Zaki Barzinji served in Governor Terry McAuliffe’s administration and then became the Obama Administration’s liaison to the Muslim-American community.

The Middle East Forum’s Islamist Money in Politics database shows another $4,300 donated to Kaine’s Senate campaign in 2011-2012 by officials from Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). Another $3,500 came from Hisham Al-Talib, a leader from Barzinji’s IIIT organization.

MAS electoral support

How much political power does the Muslim American Society wield? Depends on whom you ask — and when.

“Ask Jim Webb what kind of impact we have. Ask the governor of Virginia what kind of impact we have,” Mahdi Bray, the Muslim American Society’s executive director told The Washington Times last week.

The Muslim American Society claims credit for helping Jim Webb, Virginia Democrat, defeat incumbent Republican Sen. George Allen in 2006, and Democrat Tim Kaine defeat Republican Jerry W. Kilgore in 2005. MAS said it has registered 65,000 voters in Virginia since the 2005 gubernatorial race, and most of them backed Mr. Webb in a race decided by fewer than 8,000 votes.

“The Democrat’s win hinged on the Muslim vote,” Mr. Bray said during interviews September 2007 about the organization’s political activities planned for upcoming elections in November and the 2008 presidential race.

Omeish/Muslim American Society controversy

In 2007 Democratic Gov. Tim Kaine was accused of being far too close to a Muslim group that allegedly has ties to Islamic terrorism and espouses radical views, according to two local delegates.

Kaine should move to put some distance between his administration and the Falls Church-based Muslim American Society, said Dels. Todd Gilbert, R-Woodstock, and Clifford L. "Clay" Athey, Jr., R-Front Royal.

The controversy started when Kaine appointed Dr. Esam Omeish, the president of the society, to the Virginia Commission on Immigration. Gilbert wrote to Kaine, asking him to reconsider the appointment after seeing online videos of Omeish accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians and exhorting Muslims to "the jihad way."

Omeish resigned less than a day later under pressure from Kaine.

Federal prosecutors said in a 2008 court filing that MAS was “founded as the overt arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in America.” A Chicago Tribune investigation in 2004 confirmed it, as well as MAS’ crafty use of deceptive semantics to appear moderate. Convicted terrorist and admitted U.S. Muslim Brotherhood member Abdurrahman Alamoudi testified in 2012, “Everyone knows that MAS is the Muslim Brotherhood.”

According to Omeish’s website, he was also President of the National Muslim Student Association and served for two years on the national board of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), which the Justice Department also labeled as a U.S. Muslim Brotherhood entity and unindicted co-conspirator in a Hamas-financing trial.

His website says he was Vice President of Dar al-Hijrah Islamic Center, a radical mosque known for its history of terror ties including having future Al-Qaeda operative Anwar Al-Awlaki as its imam and being frequented by two of the 9/11 hijackers and the perpetrator of the Fort Hood shooting.

It says he was chairman of the board of Islamic American University, which had Hamas financier and Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader Yousef Al-Qaradawi as chairman of its board until at least 2006. Omeish was also chairman of the board for the Islamic Center of Passaic County, a New Jersey mosque with heavy terrorist ties and an imam that the Department of Homeland Security wants to deport for having links to Hamas.

Omeish directly expressed extremism before Kaine appointed him. He claimed the Brotherhood is “moderate” and admitted that he and MAS are influenced by the Islamist movement. In 2004, Omeish praised the Hamas spiritual leader as “our beloved Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.” Videotape from 2000 also surfaced where Omeish pledged to help Palestinians who understand “the jihad way is the way to liberate your land” (he denied this was an endorsement of violence).

When a state delegate wrote a letter to then-Governor Kaine warning him that the MAS has “questionable origins,” a Kaine spokesperson said the charge was bigotry.

Kaine obviously failed to do any kind of basic background checking in Omeish.

Omeish resigned under heavy pressure and Kaine acknowledged that his statements “concerned” him.

MAS connection

The connections between Kaine and Muslim American Society appear to be deeper than just one appointment.

Kaine was the keynote speaker at the society's Freedom Foundation "Standing for Justice Dinner." He was photographed with leaders of the group, including Imam Mahdi Bray, the executive director of the foundation.

In an online video of a 2000 rally in Washington, Abdurahman al-Amoudi — who would later plead guilty to charges of funneling money from Libya to Saudi militants — took to the podium and declared his support for Hamas and Hezbollah.

"I have been labeled by the media in New York to be a supporter of Hamas. Anybody support this Hamas here?" al-Amoudi says in the video, drawing cheers from the crowd and fist pumps from Mahdi Bray.

"I wish the added that I am also a supporter of Hezbollah. Anybody supports Hezbollah here?" he asks, drawing more cheers and fist pumps.

"The governor shouldn't have been involved with this organization and its leadership," Gilbert said.

"If [Kaine] didn't know this stuff, now that he does know it, he should say he rejects what the leadership of this organization stands for and he's going to distance himself from it, and encourage other leading Dem-ocrats to do the same." Athey was less generous.

"It is clear that Governor Kaine and the Democratic Party sought the support of radical individuals who could turn out votes in his election. According to Mahdi Bray, the governor received that support," said Athey, referring to a story earlier this month in The Washington Times, in which Bray credited the Democrats' success in 2005 and 2006 to his organization.

"Ask Jim Webb what kind of impact we have," Bray said. "Ask the governor of Virginia what kind of impact we have. The Democrats' win hinged on the Muslim vote."

"I am not going to dignify the latest allegations by Dels. Gilbert and Athey with a comment," said Kaine spokesman Kevin Hall via e-mail. He also declined to comment on Bray's election-related statements.

Bray said Monday that he and others at the video weren't cheering for the terrorist organizations.

"The majority of the people they were kind of raising their hands, and kind of cheering, and so on because this was so uncharacteristic of al-Amoudi," Bray said. "We didn't know he had a problem with law enforcement. He was considered the pillar of the American Muslim community."

Bray said his gestures weren't in support of Hamas and Hezbollah.

"You saw me pumping my fists. You didn't see me raising my hands. If they had shown the audience, you would have seen people in the audience raising their hands and falling out laughing," he said. "For him to come and make these kinds of radical rants, no one took him seriously."

Bray said he does not support violence, and would have been more judicious in his reaction had the event happened after Sept. 11, 2001.

"There are some throwbacks. And I think that Gilbert and others are throwbacks to the old days" who want to "maintain the status quo. Maybe their district is not as diverse as Northern Virginia."

"Standing for Justice Dinner"

Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia gave the keynote address for the 2007, 5th Annual Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation 'Standing for Justice Dinner'.

The governor, joined by members of his cabinet, spoke individually with Muslim community leaders during a special leadership reception. The reception was followed by the Freedom Foundation Award Dinner.

In an occasion marking the first public speech to a Muslim gathering by a Virginia governor, he acknowledged the civic work and civil rights accomplishments of the Freedom Foundation, and stressed the need for people of all faith traditions to work together to overcome intolerance and bigotry.

Imam Sheikh Rashid Lamptey of the Muslim Association of Virginia (MAV) gave a powerful inspirational address that stressed civic participation as an essential dimension of the Muslim faith and our contribution to the larger society.

Mahdi Bray left, Tim Kaine center left

During the event Tim Kaine appeared alongside Hamas supporter Mahdi Bray.

The 2007 MAS Freedom Foundation awards and their recipients included:

Lifetime Achievement Award

• Dr. Maher Hathout, Muslim Public Affairs Council
• Bahijah Abdus-Salaam
• Imam Abofazl Nahidian, Manassas Mosque

Sister Sharifa Al Khatib Award

• Maryam Funches (posthumously)

Humanitarian Award

• Asma Hanif, Coordinating Council Muslim Organizations of DC/MD/VA

Human & Civil Rights Award

• Reverend Graylan Hagler, Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ
• Dalia Hashad, Amnesty International
• Ibrahim Abdil-Mu’id Ramey

Media Excellence Award

• Afaq Khiyali, Pakistan Post
• Hassanah I. Tauhidi, Inner-Attainment Television, Inc.

Labor & Justice Award

• Joslyn Williams, AFL-CIO

Peace & Justice Award

• Dr. Imad Damaj
• Reverend C. Douglas Smith, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy
• Rabbi Arthur Waskow, The Shalom Center

The evening ended with the presentation of a free Hajj package and entertainment by Preacher Moss of the Allah Made Me Funny comedy tour.

The Freedom Foundation is the public affairs arm of the Muslim American Society (MAS), a national grassroots religious, social, and educational organization. MAS is America's largest grassroots Muslim organization with over 50 chapters nationwide.

Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center fundraiser

Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church held its annual fundraising dinner on Saturday, April 3 2010, and Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine was on the guest list.

So was Virginia Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-11th, Rep. James Moran, D-10th, Fairfax Board of Supervisors chairwoman Sharon Bulova, and Supervisor Penny Gross, D-Mason.

This is the same mosque where Anwar Al-Awlaki, the former imam to accused Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan (himself also a former mosque member) and mentor to accused Christmas Day bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, once preached.

This is the same mosque that Ahmed Abu-Ali, who was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for conspiring with members of al- Qaeda to assassinate President George W. Bush, once attended.

This is the same mosque whose board members included Dr. Esam Omeish of Alexandria, who was forced to resign from a Virginia immigration commission to which he was appointed by Kaine after videos of him supporting jihad surfaced on YouTube.

The same mosque where undercover “Mapping Sharia” investigator and faux convert Dave Gaubbatz was given reading materials that called for the killing of apostates.

The same mosque whose current imam, Shaker Elsayed, openly supports suicide bombers and the destruction of Israel.

Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va, and state Del. Kaye Kory, D-Falls Church, both had their names removed from the invitation after they were contacted by Frank Gaffney. But just days prior to the mosque fundraiser, Kaine and the other Democrats were still listed as honored guests.

In the end, apparently, only Gerry Connolly showed up.

Confidential National Muslim Democratic Council memo

A memo detailing the creation and agenda of the National Muslim Democratic Council that is marked "CONFIDENTIAL; NOT FOR PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION" was leaked. In the section marked "2012 election strategy" the group specifically spelled out detailed plans to support the Democrats and target Republicans in "key races where American Muslims can make a difference."

According to the document, these races included:

• Defeating Rep. Allen West, R-Fla., in his race against Patrick Murphy, D-Fla.;
• Supporting former Gov. Tim Kaine, D-Va., in his race against former Sen. George Allen, R-Va., in the race for Virginia's vacant Senate seat;
• Supporting Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., in her bid for re-election against former House Intelligence Committee Chairman Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich.;
• And, supporting Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, in her bid to capture the state's 3rd congressional district.

The confidential NMDC document was signed by several known Islamists such Jamiah Adams, Jihad Williams, Zeba Iqbal, Assad Akhter, Mazen Asbahi, CAIR's Basim Elkarra; and Linda Sarsour of the Arab American Association of New York.

Middle Eastern trip

In January 2014 fresh off their visit to Egypt, Lebanon, Israel and Palestine, Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Angus King (I-ME) brought their experiences back to Capitol Hill.

Kaine, who serves as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and Central and South Asian Affairs, led a subcommittee hearing on “Lebanon at a Crossroads.”

The hearing included testimonies from Lawrence Silverman, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs; Major General Michael T. Plehn, Principal Director for Middle East Policy in the Office of the Secretary of Defense; Dr. Paul Salem, Vice President of the Middle East Institute; and Mr. Aram Nerguizian, Senior Fellow and Burke Chair in Strategy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The visit to Lebanon was a first for both senators, who called the country an “overlooked neighbor” when it came to the impact from the Syrian crisis, a point also made by AAI President, Dr. James Zogby, last October. In Lebanon, the senators met with government officials and discussed the recent formation of a new government, upcoming presidential elections and U.S. humanitarian assistance to deal with the influx of refugees from Syria, which now make up a quarter of Lebanon’s population. The delegation also focused on growing security concerns related to Hezbollah and other extremist groups and discussed the security relationship with the Lebanese Armed Forces.

In addition to traveling to Lebanon, the visit to the region included meetings in Palestine with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah and Palestinian Authority chief negotiator Saeb Erekat. The senators also met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, members of the Knesset and Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni to discuss regional security and the Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.

In Egypt, ongoing crackdowns on journalists, academics and supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood continue, and the recent resignation of the government has prompted speculation that Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will run for president. Kaine met with interim President Adly Mansour, Minister of Foreign Affairs Nabil Fahmy and al-Sisi to discuss Egypt’s democratic transition, economic policies and concerns over the jailing of journalists.

Senator Kaine and other members of Congress are also drawing attention to the recent U.N. resolution on aid to Syria. On the Senate floor on Thursday, Kaine showed pictures of barrel bombs in Aleppo and residents awaiting relief in Yarmouk and said that that denying humanitarian aid to the Syrian people is “a war crime, pure and simple.” He has pressed for Russia and Syria to ensure aid access and said on Monday that “it is now incumbent on the Syrian regime to allow unhindered access of humanitarian goods to all Syrians.”

The "Jihad" Caucus

In May 2015, a group of 14 U.S. senators, led by Illinois Senator Dick Durbin and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, wrote a letter to President Obama urging him to allow 65,000 Syrians into the United States as refugees. This would require a dramatic expansion of the refugee program, and virtually guarantee that a sizable number of ISIS fighters would slip in among them. Frank Gaffney's Center for Security Policy called these Senators the "Jihad Caucus" because practically speaking, Jihad is what this request will bring.

The 14 senators demanding this massive influx of Syrians were: Dick Durbin, Amy Klobuchar, Al Franken, Patrick Leahy, Dianne Feinstein, Patty Murray, Robert Menendez, Sheldon Whitehouse, Jeanne Shaheen, Chris Coons, Tim Kaine, Ed Markey, Sherrod Brown, and Mazie Hirono.

These same 14 had sent another letter in April Demanding action on the Syrians.

Refugee rally

Rev. Gradye Parsons, stated clerk for Presbyterian Church U.S.A., spoke during a news conference with senators and national religious leaders to respond to attempts at vilifying refugees and to call on lawmakers to engage in policymaking and not 'fear-mongering' at the U.S. Capitol December 8, 2015 in Washington, DC. Following last week's mass shooting in San Bernardino, Calinfornia, leading Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump called on Monday for the United States to bar all Muslims from entering the country.

Also speaking were Senators Tim Kaine, Patrick Leahy, Dick Durbin, and Theodore McCarrick, Rabbi Jack Moline, Bishop Sally Dyck, Rev. Richard Graham, Imam Talib Shareef.

MC Rev, Dr. Sharon Stanley-Rea.

Q&A Jen Smyers Church World Service.

Arab American Association

Arab American Association of Central Virginia activists with Senator Tim Kaine at Standing Together event, hosted by Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities, January 10, 2016.

On CAIR

“CAIR has given the American Muslim community an authentic voice in the public square and for that I am deeply grateful.” (October 2017).

NIAC influence

WASHINGTON – US Senator Chris Murphy and Rep. Ro Khanna, addressed the stalemate between the US and Iran regarding the return to the 2015 nuclear agreement and urged the administration “to be open and willing to take early steps back into the deal.”

Speaking late March 2021 on a webinar hosted by the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), Murphy said that he is writing a letter with Senator Tim Kaine that would “make clear that there is a sizable constituency in the United States Senate for this “compliance for compliance” approach.”

“Maximum pressure was a miserable 100% failure,” Murphy said. “And so as we get ready to reenter the JCPOA, it’s important to remind the opponents of the agreements that their arguments have been tested. Their argument has failed. Now is the work [...] to get back into the agreement as quickly as possible. “The United States was the first to leave, and so the United States shouldn’t be wary of taking the first step back into the agreement. There is no weakness in the United States admitting that, but for our non-compliance, the JCPOA would still likely be alive and well today. And so both in private and in public, I have counseled the administration to adopt a compliance for compliance approach, to be open and willing to take early steps back into the deal.”

Khanna said he was disappointed by the stalemate: “I don’t understand what the delay is,” he said. “Iran had 102 kilograms of enriched uranium when Trump took office; they have 2.5 tons of enriched uranium now. It has been a colossal failure, the maximum pressure campaign, and we continue to have the status quo. We ought to lift the sanctions, get back in the deal, and we can always have snapback sanctions. It seems to be such common sense. And yet, there is a continuation basically of the status quo, a dragging of the feet, a lack of transformative imagination that we see in domestic policy. So I think we have to continue to make a very simple case that we have to try to get back into the JCPOA by getting back into the JCPOA, not by playing a game of chicken.

IAPAC money

Senator Tim Kaine received money from the Iranian American Political Action Committee during the 2018 election cycle.

NIAC approval

Washington, DC – NIAC Action Executive Director Jamal Abdi issued the following statement, July 23, 2016:

“As advocates for diplomacy we have high hopes for Hillary Clinton’s decision to pick Tim Kaine as her running mate.

“This is not a pick that will please neocons who hoped to build influence with a Clinton administration to hedge their bets on Trump. Kaine serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and was the ranking Democrat on Middle East Subcommittee, and played a leading role in shepherding the Iran deal through Congress. He has publicly articulated his belief that that the U.S. must put diplomacy at the center of U.S. foreign policy in order to ensure the nation is not on permanent war footing.

“Kaine played a leadership role among Democrats on the substance and fraught politics surrounding the Iran deal. He was at the center of blocking the Kirk-Menendez sanctions that would have killed the nuclear talks when they first started. He helped secure Congressional authority to review and vote on the Iran deal, and worked to win that vote when it came. Kaine was one of the first in the Senate to refuse to attend the Benjamin Netanyahu speech organized by House Republicans in a brazen and unprecedented bid to defeat President Obama and block the nuclear deal.

“A Democratic Vice President who has credibility on foreign policy, advocates for diplomacy, and fought for the Iran deal can help ensure that the Obama diplomatic legacy remains a core foundation of the Democratic party. Nominating him could bridge the gap for those in the pro-peace community who have had questions about Clinton’s foreign policy direction.

“We hope Kaine builds on his record and works to ensure the United States get off the perpetual war footing places diplomacy at the center of any future Democratic Administration’s foreign policy.”

NIAC connection

30th Annual Virginia Arab American Political Forum

Yasmine Taeb September 30, 2018:

It was great to join so many friends tonight at the 30th Annual Virginia Arab American Political Forum. I was so happy to see our wonderful Sen. Tim Kaine and Congressman Don Beyer join us. Thank you Saba for the warm welcome and to your tireless work for the community. — with Kenny Allen Boddye at Tysons Corner Marriott.

Arab American Democratic Caucus of Virginia

​Arab American Democratic Caucus of Virginia: Saba L. Shami Dr. Hanna Hanania Dr. Ayman Eldarwish Paul Noursi, Abdallah Adas Dr. Maher Massis, Dr. Reem Khaldi, Fred Shwaery And Co-Hosts: Dr. Joseph A. Khalil, Fred T. Hadeed, Nazeeh Kiblawi & Nada Kiblawi, Nabil Asad, Waleed A. Khaldi Fadi Zakaria, Joe Hadeed, Aburish Brothers Dr.Ayman Awadallah, Dr. Hisham Al Talib ,Khaled Saffuri Dr. Esam Omeish Dr. Babur Lateef, Jennifer Saman, Richard El Khazen Raba Letteri, Dr.Najib Adi , Nadir Tawil, Esq. Ron Kuley, Talal Alsada Dr. Yacoub Mirza hosted a Private dinner in honor of Sen. Tim Kaine on March 4th at the Osteria da Nino Italian Ristorante in Arlington.

Gastanaga connection

Claire Guthrie Gastanaga, executive director of the ACLU of Virginia, has known Tim Kaine since the 1980s and was the first staffer on his campaign for lieutenant governor.

New Virginia Majority

Faiza Abdulle was a New Virginia Majority volunteer door-knocking for Tim Kaine in 2012

With the Senate election in Virginia coming down to a photo finish, Mr. Kaine, a former governor, figured that a Democratic army of Faiza Abdulles would make the difference. Republicans, with their own army of door knockers, are hoping that their ground game can eke out a victory by one or two percentage points for George Allen, a former governor and senator. It is a street-level fight of neighborhood canvassing and phone banks conducted largely out of sight and distinct from the ad wars carpet-bombing televisions in Virginia.

On the periphery are separate get-out-the-vote, rally-the-faithful efforts motivated by Mr. Obama but carrying along Mr. Kaine’s message. Canvassing has been going on for months, financed by at least three unions, Planned Parenthood and New Virginia Majority, the group Ms. Abdulle was working for, which is aimed at an expanding immigrant community that has helped turn Virginia from reliably Republican to a battleground.

They may be reliably Democratic, but the women, immigrants and minorities targeted by New Virginia Majority are unreliable voters.

“We are focused almost exclusively on the voters who wouldn’t come out to vote without the attention,” said Rishi Awatramani, the communications director for New Virginia Majority. “If we hit that 2 percent vote share, then we’ve done a good job.”

New Virginia Majority is a front for the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Felon's voting rights

Tim Kaine, Tram Nguyen

During his tenure as Govrnor Tim Kaine did not act "to end Virginia’s racist felon-disenfranchisement law, which prevents 300,000 ex-offenders, including one in five African Americans in the state, from voting". He restored the voting rights of 4,000 ex-offenders on a case-by-case basis, more than any other governor, but refused to issue an executive order automatically granting voting rights to ex-offenders, like Governor Terry McAuliffe did in April 2016. The ACLU of Virginia said it was “extremely disappointed that Governor Kaine did not act before leaving office.”

“The notion that the Constitution of the Commonwealth could be rewritten via executive order is troubling,” wrote Kaine’s lawyer—a memo that McAuliffe’s opponents seized on in federal court to successfully challenge the executive order. The Virginia Supreme Court struck down McAuliffe’s executive order in a 4-3 decision, and the governor then said he’ll "expeditiously restore voting rights on an individual basis".

Kaine’s decision took place "before Republicans had begun passing new voting restrictions across the country following Obama’s election and before the Supreme Court had gutted the VRA, which has forced the Democratic Party to be more aggressive in pushing to expand voting rights". “The voting-rights issue wasn’t in the forefront during his time as governor as it is now,” says Tram Nguyen, executive director of New Virginia Majority . “In general, he’s been very supportive of voting rights and voter access.” She said Kaine has said in personal conversations that he supports McAuliffe’s executive order.

2012 CLW Senate victories

2012 Council for a Livable World Senate Victories were;

Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Bob Casey (D-PA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Chris Murphy (D-CT) Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Jon Tester (D-MT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).

The Council said of Kaine;

Tim Kaine, who has never turned away from taking practical and progressive positions on tough issues, supports approval of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and new nuclear reductions negotiations with Russia building on the success of the New START Treaty. Kaine supports the goal of securing and retrieving vulnerable nuclear-weapons usable materials worldwide within four years.

As DNC Chairman, Kaine went on the record in support of the ratification of the New START, the nuclear arms reduction treaty.

“This treaty fulfills one of President Obama’s fundamental promises by moving the United States an important step closer to a safer, more peaceful, world that is working toward the elimination of nuclear weapons... I hope that we will see a strong and prompt bipartisan effort in the United States Senate to embrace this step forward and ratify the new START treaty.”

CLW 2018

Tim Kaine (D-VA) for Senate was endorsed in 2018 by Council for a Livable World.

Senator Tim Kaine, former nominee for Vice President, former Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, former Chair of the Democratic National Committee, former Mayor and City Councilman from Richmond, Virginia, and civil rights attorney is running for re-election. Council for a Livable World enthusiastically endorsed him in his first race for Senate in 2012.

He strongly supports the Iran nuclear agreement. He tweeted on October 14, 2017: “Decertifying the #IranDeal guts US diplomacy and, yes, raises the serious risk of the Trump administration leading us into war.” As Chairman of the Democratic National Committee under President Obama, Kaine went on the record in support of the ratification of New START.

Senator Kaine has three major Republican opponents. Prince William County Supervisor Corey Stewart (R), who came close to claiming the Virginia GOP nomination for governor last year, is running. In his announcement, Stewart promised to “run a very vicious and ruthless campaign against Tim Kaine and I’m going to win.”

While Virginia has been a purple state, it has trended toward Democrats, most recently in the November 2017 elections. But Virginia races tend to be competitive, as it is a bellwether state.

Filibuster reform

The Communications Workers of America is to make filibuster reform a top cause and they're trying to bring the rest of the union movement along. The union reiterated that goal in post-election comments.

"The 2012 election makes the reform even more paramount," it said. "Seven Democratic senators-elect - Tammy Baldwin (Wis.), Martin Heinrich (N.M.), Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.), Mazie Hirono (Hawaii), Tim Kaine (Va.), Chris Murphy (Conn.) and Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) - have all already pledged to Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., to support rules reform. And Maine's Independent candidate, former Gov. Angus King won on a platform included filibuster reform as a major campaign issue.

"The American people want their elected officials to debate and address the major issues of our time and to move past obstruction for obstruction's sake," added CWA Legislative Director Shane Larson.

Asian American Action Fund supported candidate

In the 2012 election, Tim Kaine was supported by the Asian American Action Fund.

JStreet PAC endorsement

In 2024 JStreet PAC endorsed Tim Kaine.

JStreet endorsement, 2012

In 2012, the JStreet PAC endorsed seven Senatorial candidates, all of whom emerged victorious. The Senate slate, which has more than doubled in size since 2010, included pro-Israel leaders Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Sen. Dianne Feinstein (CA), Sen. Maria Cantwell (WA) and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (RI). The PAC also backed winning candidates in some of the most competitive Senate races in the country, raising more than $100,000 each for Sen. Sherrod Brown (OH), Rep. Tammy Baldwin (WI), Governor Tim Kaine (VA) and Rep. Martin Heinrich (NM).

2014

The socialist infiltrated, anti-Israel "two state solution" JStreet PAC endorsed several "off cycle" Senators in 2014, including Tim Kaine.

2016

JStreet endorsed Kaine in 2016.

Kaine speaks of himself as a Truman Democrat, committed to making Israel a lasting home for the Jewish people that is safe, secure and at peace with its Palestinian neighbors. Kaine is also supportive of an active role for the United States in achieving a two-state solution.

Honduras letter

On Thursday, May 23, 2013, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) circulated a Senate sign-on "Dear Colleague" letter to Secretary of State John Kerry addressing deepening concerns about Human Rights and the Rule of Law in Honduras.

The letter states that violence and impunity for state security forces in Honduras has reached intolerable levels and cites concerns related to extrajudicial killings, linkages to death squads, and increasing militarization of civilian law enforcement. The letter also raises the concern that State Department certifications intended to ensure that U.S. foreign aid supports the rule of law in Honduras may contradict the reality on the ground.

The letter asks State Department to:

• provide Congress with a detailed assessment of the efficacy of current Honduran government efforts to address this issue as mandated by FY12 Appropriations language;
• conduct a detailed review of specific State Department actions to help ensure that no U.S. funds are being used to support police implicated in human rights violations; and
• make every reasonable effort to help ensure that Honduras' upcoming November 2013 elections are free, fair and peaceful.

In addition to Cardin, the letter was cosigned by Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Tom Harkin (D-IA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Mark Udall (D-CO), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Robert P. Casey, Jr. (D-PA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Michael F. Bennet (D-CO), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chris Coons (D-DE), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Al Franken (D-MN) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH).

Carlos Mejia Orellana death

U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement on the murder of Carlos Mejia Orellana in Honduras:

“I was shocked to learn of the murder of Carlos Mejia Orellana, journalist and marketing director of Jesuit founded Radio Progreso in Honduras. My prayers go out to Carlos’s friends and family in the El Progreso community that welcomed me as a young student in the 1980’s.

“Too often, Honduran officials have dismissed threats and attacks against journalists, and questioned whether the violence was connected to the victims’ profession. In Carlos’s particular case, police have announced possible conclusions without even the start of an investigation. Premature and speculative judgments cannot be allowed to stand in the way of a thorough investigation. This must not be yet another homicide in Honduras that goes unpunished.

“Honduran police failed to protect Carlos, despite repeated requests to do so from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The police need to take immediate steps to protect Carlos’s surviving colleagues at Radio Progreso and its research arm, ERIC, who also live under constant threat.”

Working America

Working America, the AFL-CIO’s more than 3 million-member community affiliate for people without unions, celebrated its 10th anniversary 2013. To mark the occasion, Working America unveiled its “50 in 5” initiative to expand into all 50 states in five years, as well as new efforts to organize workers at their workplaces. Said Working America Executive Director Karen Nussbaum:

Every day, we talk to people struggling to support their families or piece together a living with their current jobs. These are people who want to see changes in their communities or on the job. This expansion allows working people to make a difference in new states and communities.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said, “Working America is an example of the way the AFL-CIO’s door has to be—and will be—open to any worker or group of workers who want to organize and build power.” The expansion to 50 states, he said, means that every week, at front doors, workplaces and community gatherings all over America, thousands of people can build power locally.

Along with its expansion efforts, Working America will continue its year-round community organizing and electoral and legislative work, as well as pilot different methods of organizing workers on the job. Those models and tactics include a workplace organizing site set to launch in May called FixMyJob.com.

In 2013 , Working America was in a dozen states, including Ohio, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Colorado, New Mexico, Michigan and Oregon. It recently opened offices in Texas and North Carolina.

Working America hosted a “50 in 5” launch at the AFL-CIO headquarters in Washington, D.C., that included Trumka, AFL-CIO President Emeritus John Sweeney, American Bridge 21st Century President Rodell Mollineau, U.S. Sens. Al Franken (D-Minn.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and other guests.

Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act of 2015

S 299, the Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act of 2015, principal sponsors are Sens. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.

By May 20, it had accumulated 33 co-sponsors, including 26 Democrats - Sheldon Whitehouse, Tom Udall, Dick Durbin, Thomas Carper, Amy Klobuchar, Barbara Boxer, Jack Reed, Debbie Stabenow, Jeff Merkley, Chris Murphy, Benjamin Cardin, Chris Coons, Dianne Feinstein, Jeanne Shaheen, Sherrod Brown, Mazie Hirono, Brian Schatz, Tammy Baldwin, Ed Markey, Heidi Heitkamp, Jon Tester, Claire McCaskill, Ron Wyden, Tim Kaine, Al Franken, Elizabeth Warren, Michael Bennet, Martin Heinrich .

Honduras visit

February 2015, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, and John Cornyn concluded a three-day visit to Honduras focused on economic and security challenges facing the country, as well as President Obama’s proposed $1 billion aid package for Central America. In addition to meeting with Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, the Senators spoke with business leaders, members of Honduran civil society, and U.S. officials working to combat gang violence and impunity and promote human rights in a country that significantly contributed to the unaccompanied minors crisis in 2014.

On Tuesday, Senators Kaine and Cornyn visited two USAID-supported youth outreach centers in Chamelecon, one of San Pedro Sula’s most violent neighborhoods, with a goal of creating opportunities for Honduran youth by giving them alternatives to violence and crime thereby stemming illegal and dangerous migration north.

On Wednesday morning, Kaine had a special opportunity to return to El Progreso, a small city outside San Pedro Sula where he worked with Jesuit missionaries at a technical school in 1980. After attending Ash Wednesday services at Parquia de la Mercedes, a church he regularly attended, Kaine was “welcomed home” to the Instituto Tecnico Loyola by former Jesuit colleagues and more than 300 current students and teachers. Thirty-five years after he taught carpentry and welding there, Kaine toured the expanded campus and spoke to a school-wide assembly, reflecting on his time in Honduras.

“The school has grown rapidly, but the spirit of the people here is exactly the same,” said Kaine. “El Progreso is extremely special to me. Thirty-five years ago, I took a year off from law school to work with a group of Jesuits here affiliated with my high school in Kansas City. My experience working at Loyola taught me the importance of access to skills-based training – both in Honduras and the U.S. – and inspired me to pursue the issue of expanding career and technical education in the U.S. Senate.”

While at Loyola, Kaine also visited Radio Progreso & ERIC (the Team for Reflection, Research and Communication), a Jesuit-run community radio station and human rights advocacy organization housed on the school campus.

On Wednesday afternoon, the senators traveled to Soto Cano Air Force Base to visit Joint Task Force-Bravo and meet with Virginia and Texas servicemembers stationed there. JTF-Bravo is under U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) and supports counternarcotics, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations in Honduras and throughout Central America to promote regional security, stability, and cooperation. The senators also had an opportunity to meet with U.S. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for International Affairs Alan Bersin and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Sarah Saldaña, also visiting Honduras this week.

In a meeting with President Hernandez today, the senators shared observations from throughout their visit and sought clarity on how funding proposed in President Obama's FY2016 budget request would complement Honduran efforts to improve security and economic opportunity.

“This is an important moment in the U.S.-Honduras relationship," said Kaine. "As clearly demonstrated during last year's unaccompanied minors crisis, what happens in Honduras has a direct impact on the U.S. We need to scrutinize the President's request for Central America and ensure amounts we approve are spent wisely. But an investment in Honduras is an investment in our shared prosperity."

Richmond Peace Education Center coonection

Thad Williamson's spouse, Adria Scharf, has lobbied Tim Kaine on foreign policy issues in her role as director of the Richmond Peace Education Center.)

ARA connections

Tim Kaine is very close to Virginia Alliance for Retired Americans.

Inaugural meeting

Tim Kaine addressed the inaugural meeting of Virginia Alliance for Retired Americans, January 31, 2012.

ARA endorsement, 2012

The Alliance for Retired Americans endorsed Tim Kaine in 2012.

2012 meeting

Alliance for Retired Americans President Easterling and Senator Kaine, November 28, 2012

July 25 VARA meeting

July 2015.

NAKASEC town hall

Falls Church, Virginia — According to communications people Jose Caceres, and Emily Kessel, on July 9, 2015, the day before the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals hears oral arguments on the lawsuit blocking the implementation of the deferred action programs, immigrant rights organizations in Virginia hosted a community town hall on the importance of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parents of U.S. Citizens and Legal Permanent Residents (DAPA) programs for immigrant families in Virginia at the Culmore United Methodist Church.

The 2015 DACA/DAPA Community Town Hall facilitates a dialogue between community members and Virginia congressional offices, Virginia House of Delegates, and other civic leaders about how to best move forward to defend DAPA and DACA expansion and provide further relief for hardworking immigrant parents, young people, and their families.

The event was organized by the Virginia Coalition of Latino Organizations, NAKASEC, the Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights, the Virginia Latina Advocacy Network , DREAMers Of Virginia, Mason DREAMers, and DREAMers Moms USA. Representatives from the offices of Senator Tim Kaine, Senator Mark Warner, Representative Don Beyer, and Representative Gerry Connolly joined the event and committed to delivering community concerns and recommendations to Congressmembers.

Resolution to Honor Civil Rights Hero Fred Korematsu

February 6, 2017, Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley introduced a resolution honoring Fred Korematsu, who challenged the internment of Japanese Americans.

Wyden and Merkley said the resolution honoring Korematsu’s work and advocacy of the civil rights and liberties of all people is timely, given the president’s executive order establishing a Muslim ban.

"Fred Korematsu’s brave advocacy for the civil rights of 120,000 Japanese Americans remains a timeless example of courage that resonates today and every day,“ Wyden said. “I am committed to fighting for the continued advance of civil rights he spent his life defending, and against those who would betray both the law and our history to impose an unconstitutional religious test on immigrants."

"Heroes like Fred Korematsu demonstrate the importance of fighting fiercely for our core American values, even when it is hard,” said Merkley. “His story reminds us that the time is always right to stand up for what is right. We must keep fighting for the freedom and equality that define our nation, and ensure that the Statue of Liberty continues to stand as a beacon of hope around the world."

The resolution is cosponsored by Senators Mazie Hirono, Bernie Sanders, Cory Booker, Brian Schatz, Sherrod Brown, Sheldon Whitehouse, Maria Cantwell, Elizabeth Warren, Richard Blumenthal, Tim Kaine , Patty Murray, Chris Coons, and Dick Durbin.

A broad coalition of advocacy organizations support the resolution, including the Fred T. Korematsu Institute, the Bill of Rights Defense Committee & Defending Dissent Foundation, Demand Progress, Free Press Action Fund, Restore the Fourth, The Yemen Peace Project, and Fight for the Future.

Virginia DACA press conference

NAKASEC June 15, 2016;

In celebration of the fourth year anniversary of #DACA, we held a press conference and screening of Halmoni with Delegate Mark Keam, ethnic media reporters, community leaders, and staffers from U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, Senator Mark Warner, and Congressman Gerry Connolly's offices. It was through the bravery of young people who shared their stories, dared to dream above their challenges and barriers, and their perseverance that DACA was earned and won...

NAKASEC pressure

January 18, Virginia’s two U.S. Senators: Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, released a statement publicly committing to vote ‘NO’ on the January 19 spending bill if it does not include the Dream Act — a bipartisan bill that would protect more than 2 million immigrant young people from deportation and create a pathway to citizenship.

The commitment comes after tremendous pressure by hundreds of immigrant leaders from the National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC), CASA in Action, and United We Dream who took over their district and D.C. offices, staged a demonstration outside the Governor Northam’s Inaugural Gala where Sen. Kaine and Warner were guests, canvassed the neighborhoods of both Senators to speak to their neighbors, led lobby visits and made thousands of phone calls and collected petitions.

Across the country, Democrats have been under increasing pressure to use all of their leverage to protect immigrant youth and pass the Dream Act. So far, over 15,000 young people have lost their protection from deportation since the Trump administration first rescinded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program on Sept. 5, 2017.

January 18 at 4pm EST, immigrant community leaders will go to many of the state offices of Sen. Kaine and Warner to acknowledge their decision to vote No on the spending bill to protect immigrant youth; more information on location of these visits below.

Jung Bin Cho, a DACA recipient from Virginia and community leader with NAKASEC, said: “We want to be clear that Senator Tim Kaine and Senator Mark Warner’s decision to finally be on the right side of history is a direct result of undocumented youth-led, sustained organizing and direct actions. For the past 5 months, NAKASEC and other grassroots organizations applied constant pressure on Senators Kaine and Warner to go beyond words about supporting immigrant youth, and instead deliver with concrete action. That happened today.

“Although Senators Kaine and Warner voted yes on the continuing resolution last December, we are proud to see that our work, stories, and passion helped them do the right thing this time around. We will continue to organize and advocate for a clean Dream Act — one that does not compromise the safety of our parents and border communities or threaten family immigration and diversity visa program.”

Luis Aguilar, a DACA recipient from Virginia and organizer for CASA in Action, said: “Our communities are well organized. We proved it back in November in the Gubernatorial elections and we are demonstrating our power once again today. We expect our elected officials to walk the talk. And today, Senators Kaine and Warner demonstrated that they are willing to stand with us in this by stating they are voting no on the spending bill if it does not include the Dream Act.”

Bruna Distinto, potential Dream Act beneficiary and local leader with United We Dream, said: “For weeks immigrant youth like me who would qualify for the Dream Act have been going to Senators Kaine and Warner’s state and D.C. offices calling on them to be Dream Heroes who put their words into actions. In December, when they voted for a spending bill that did not include the Dream Act, I felt devastated: my education, my ability to buy my parents their dream house, and my safety were all on the line.

“Today I feel energized knowing that our stories pushed Senators Kaine and Warner to stand on the right side of history by committing to vote NO on any spending bill that does not include permanent protections for immigrant youth.”

AFGE conference

February 2018 1,000 American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) attended t the union’s annual legislative-political conference in Washington DC. led by union President J. David Cox.

Speakers included Sens. Tim Kaine of Virginia, Cory Booker of New Jersey and Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

All the speakers spent a lot of their time on AFGE’s issues, denouncing Trump’s proposed pay freeze for federal workers, his call to virtually institute a spoils system in hiring and firing and praising the role of unions in creating, sustaining and defending the middle class, among other things. The difference was those three spoke more generally.

Kaine, the party’s vice-presidential nominee in 2016, led off the parade at the conference’s first working session on Feb. 12 by lambasting Trump’s knowledge, or lack of it, of the U.S. constitution.

“You take an oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution and so do I,” the normally low-key Kaine declared. “I don’t want to give a power-hungry president an easier hand to sack people for doing your jobs, just because we insist on holding him accountable.”

And unionists are right to doubt Trump, Kaine said. “He’s worried people’s loyalty may be to the Constitution, not to him=,” the senator explained.

Booker, shouting through the occasional wind at a Feb. 14 Capitol Hill rally, was even more expansive and more general.

Evoking the power of love of country and opposition to hate symbolized by the civil rights movement, the up-and-coming New Jersey senator praised the U.S. people in general – and unionists in particular – for the “power of love” that movement showed, and for courage in “storming the beaches of Normandy to fight the Nazis and in refusing to move to the back of the bus” in Birmingham, Ala., the 1956 start of the modern civil rights crusade.

“Hatred comes in many forms,” Booker declared. They include “bigotry and homophobia, but also in attacking the basic dignity of men and women who work at full-time jobs but who still earn (pay) below the poverty line.”

“And we see voting rights, civil rights, women’s rights and labor’s rights being attacked every day” by Trump and the GOP, Booker said, though he did not mention the president’s name. “That is unacceptable in a nation dedicated to liberty and justice for all.”

“This is calling out for us, as agents of love,” to end that poverty and discrimination, Booker declared. “And we know we have work to do…You cannot love your country unless you love your country men and women.”

Sanders fell in between. He joined AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka as headliners at the union’s Feb. 13 rally in front of the federation’s building before its march on Veterans Affairs Department headquarters a block away.

"Be HEARD" Act

April 9 2019, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), top Democrat on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, was joined by Congresswoman Katherine Clark (D-MA-5), Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus, and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-7), to introduce the Bringing an End to Harassment by Enhancing Accountability and Rejecting Discrimination (Be HEARD) in the Workplace Act, legislation which takes critical steps to ensure businesses have more resources to prevent harassment and workers have more support when they seek accountability and justice, and sends a clear message to those who think they can get away with assault or harassment on the job: time is up.

Senator Murray announced the introduction at a news conference with survivors and advocates who shared their personal stories about workplace assault and harassment, including Adriana Cazorla, a Washington state domestic worker and advocate with National Domestic Workers Alliance, and Maria del Carmen Ruelas, farm worker with Justice for Migrant Women Advocates who also resides in Washington state. Additionally, leaders from the National Women's Law Center (NWLC), The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) participated and highlighted the urgent need to pass the legislation.

“No matter who you are or where you work—whether you are the only woman on the board, or a janitor, or farm worker, you should be treated fairly, respectfully, and with dignity. This should be true no matter your gender or race, your religion or sexual orientation or age—and regardless of whether you have a disability or are a veteran.” said Senator Murray. “For far too long and for far too many people in our country this hasn’t been true. So today, I’m proud to be standing up to fight for change and make clear that time is up.”

In addition to Senator Murray, the Senate bill is co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Kamala Harris (D-CA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Bob Casey (D-PA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL). The House bill is being introduced by Congresswoman Katherine Clark (D-MA-5), Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-7), Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin (D-MI-8), and Congresswoman Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-FL-26).

External links

• DNC website