‘Shameful’: N.C. GOP mistakenly claims Kaine’s military pin is flag of Honduras

Sen. Tim Kaine speaks during the third day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, July 27, 2016. (Photo: J. Scott Applewhite/AP)
Sen. Tim Kaine speaks during the third day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, July 27, 2016. (Photo: J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

During his speech at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia to accept the vice presidential nomination on Wednesday night, Tim Kaine was wearing a lapel pin honoring Blue Star Families — like his — which have members serving in the military.

The North Carolina GOP, though, mistakenly thought it was the flag of Honduras, where the Virginia senator volunteered as a Jesuit missionary before entering law school. And the state’s Republican party took to Twitter to criticize the senator.

“[Tim Kaine] wears a Honduras flag pin on his jacket but no American flag,” the state party tweeted as Kaine was speaking. “Shameful.”

After Ben Amey, a reporter with Albany’s NBC affiliate, pointed out the mistake, the tweet was deleted.

“We appreciate you letting us know,” the party responded to Amey. “Thanks for letting us correct our mistake.”

Tim Kaine's Blue Star Families pin, and the flag of Honduras. (Photos: AP)
Tim Kaine’s Blue Star Families pin, and the flag of Honduras. (Photos: AP)

Earlier in the speech, Kaine told the crowd he trusts Hillary Clinton with the life of his son, Nat, a U.S. Marine who was deployed to Europe shortly after the former secretary of state picked the senator as her running mate.

“He is a proud Marine, and in just a few days he’s deploying to Europe to uphold America’s commitment to our NATO allies,” Kaine said. “For me, this drives home the stakes in this election.”

“On a personal level, as he’s serving our nation abroad, I trust Hillary Clinton with our son’s life,” he said. “You know who I don’t trust? Donald Trump. The guy promises a lot. But you might have noticed, he has a habit of saying the same two words right after he makes his biggest promises. You guys know the words I mean? ‘Believe me.’”


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