In March 2018, Mayor Levar Stoney (left) and Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., (right) spoke during a gun safety rally in Richmond.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said Friday that Richmond officials owe residents a further explanation about the purported mass shooting plot city police said they foiled at Dogwood Dell.
During an hourlong session with reporters and editors at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Kaine also said he plans to seek re-election in 2024 and that he will back President Joe Biden if the president runs again.
During a July 6 news conference, Richmond Police Chief Gerald Smith and Mayor Levar Stoney said authorities had foiled a planned July 4 mass shooting at Dogwood Dell. But during an Aug. 3 hearing for two men charged in connection with the alleged plot, a city prosecutor told a judge that he had no evidence that it was planned for Dogwood Dell.
“I have no inside intel other than what I read in the paper,” said Kaine, who served as a Richmond council member and as the city’s mayor before he was elected lieutenant governor, governor and U.S. senator.
“I think, though, city officials are duty-bound to provide an explanation because they came out strong about this is what this was.
“If they did an arrest up front and they didn’t say ‘this was going to be a mass-shooting incident,’ then they wouldn’t owe an explanation about a decision with respect to these charges,” Kaine said.
“But having come out of the gate and [said] ‘OK, this is a mass shooting incident,’ and then prosecutorial decisions suggest well maybe it wasn’t, I think you have to answer that question.”
Kaine said that if officials reached a conclusion in error, “there’s no shame in that.” He noted that Bill Leighty, a chief of staff during Kaine’s term as governor, had a saying that “the first reports are always wrong,” in an emergency. That proved true during the 2007 mass shooting at Virginia Tech, the senator said.
“So people don’t need to be embarrassed about saying, ‘We thought X and it turned out to be wrong.’ That’s always the case,” Kaine said.
“But having told you that, I do think there needs to be some clarification.”
Jim Nolan, a spokesman for Stoney, said in a statement: “As RTD and others have reported and are well aware, this case is now in the hands of federal authorities, and the legal process must be allowed to play out. That said, the mayor expects the police department to continue to keep residents informed on issues of public safety, and on this case, when and where it is appropriate.
“The mayor believes the most important goal of policing is keeping the residents of our city safe, and he is grateful that RPD’s swift action on a tip removed a serious potential threat from the community. He encourages the community to partner with the department to provide the same kind of valuable information that can help keep everyone safe.”
As for his election plans, Kaine, a senator since 2013, said: “My plan right now is yes, I’m running.” Kaine added that he will make a final decision after this November’s elections.
“I’m not young, but I’m still youthful and healthy and productive and having fun,” said Kaine, 64.
Regarding the president, he said, “If Joe Biden runs, I’m going to back him,” adding that he has no particular insight into the president’s plans.
Kaine, who ran for vice president as Hillary Clinton’s running mate in 2016, also weighed in on Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who is considering a run for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024.
Kaine said Youngkin could be an appealing candidate to Republicans because Youngkin’s successful run for governor in 2021 “threaded the needle” in attracting supporters of former President Donald Trump “without clinging too close to Trump.”
“That’s a balance that’s tough,” Kaine said. The senator said he thinks it is unwise for Republican hopefuls to cling closely to Trump, but said Trump voters are “the engine” of the Republican electorate.
“If I were on the Republican side — so let me put myself into those shoes — I mean, I can see that Glenn Youngkin would be very attractive,” Kaine said.
“Now, the problem that he would have is Donald Trump is still the dominant figure in that party.”
This week, Kaine denounced a Youngkin tweet that criticized the Department of Justice over the search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. The senator noted Friday that while he thought Youngkin’s criticism was off-base, he said it also did not help the Virginia congressional delegation’s effort to woo FBI headquarters to Virginia, rather than Maryland.
“You even see Governor Youngkin understands that,” Kaine said of Trump’s continued dominance in the GOP. “So he had to come to Donald Trump’s aid over Mar-a-Lago in ways that I don’t think he should have.”
Kaine added: “The challenge for Youngkin is that nobody’s ever left the governor’s office early.”
Virginia is the only state that bars governors from serving consecutive terms. The only Virginia governor in modern times to run for president during his term is Doug Wilder, who lost the Democratic nomination to Bill Clinton in 1992.
On another matter, Kaine recently introduced the Reproductive Freedom for All Act, an effort to federally protect abortion access after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June.
Kaine said that while the measure does not currently have enough votes to overcome Senate filibuster rules, he noted that congressional efforts on gun legislation were ineffective during most of his nearly 10 years in the Senate.
“For 10 years, we’ve been trying to do something on guns and we didn’t have 60 votes. That didn’t stop us from putting bills on the table, but we couldn’t move them,” he said.
“But eventually” the mass shootings in “Buffalo and Texas back to back were the things that were the tipping point.”
“We’ve got to do something,” Kaine said of codifying abortion rights. “I just think that the Dobbs case is going to create this steady drumbeat of stories.”
Aerial photos Richmond area, including Main Street Station, Interstate 95, Shockoe Bottom, Downtown, Mayo Island, Church hill
Birds fly over Mayo Island in the James River on February 13th, 2008
Mayo Island in the James River, from the Flood Wall on the south bank of the river.
In July 1940, a Richmond Colts batter headed to first base while a teammate scored in a victory over the Norfolk Tars in a Piedmont League game at Tate Field, which was on Mayo Island in Richmond.
4-27-1937: During the 1937 flood, the old ball park on Mayo Island looked like a lake.
This January 1931 image shows Tate Field, located on Mayo Island in the James River and used for several Richmond baseball teams from 1890 to 1941. The ballpark, named for 1880s local player Edward “Pop” Tate, had recurring problems with flooding, and a fire caused significant damage in 1941.
10-18-1942 (cutline): Flood waters from James River pour over old Mayo Island Baseball Park just off of Fourteenth Street Bridge. Picture taken from atop Richmond Boast Club building shows bleachers isolated by water.
John Jay Schwartz, on the 14th Street Bridge, is a Richmond broker who has Mayo Island as one of his listings. Part of Mayo Island is the wooded area behind him. Aug. 14, 2014.
A helicopter lowers a briefcase on Mayo Island Saturday, July 12, 1997, during the celebrations prior to the start of the Peace Frog Race. The briefcase contained destination check points for the race.
This historical photo of the baseball diamond that existed on Mayo Island in Richmond, VA, was made by Dementi Studio. (No date information for this photo was given.)
Sarah Dingle and Matt Dingle compete in the 2X14DR class of the Downriver Competition in the 1998 Open Canoe Downriver and Slalom National Championships Friday, June 19, 1998. They paddle through waterpipe rapid nearing Mayo Island.
Jen Watkins and Rob Scharges compete in the 2X14DR class of the Downriver Competition in the 1998 Open Canoe Downriver and Slalom National Championships Friday, June 19, 1998. They paddle through waterpipe rapid nearing Mayo Island.
Audience members sing along with songs at Carbon Leaf's Endless Summer Luau and Campout on Mayo Island on 7/20/02. (Carbon Leaf on stage)
Backstage view of Carbon Leaf at Carbon Leaf's Endless Summer Luau and Campout on Mayo Island on 7/20/02.
Donna Shell, with the National Environmental Trust, wore her global hat created by Ignatius Hats Saturday, April 19, 1998, for the Earth Day concert at Mayo Island. She was getting people to sign postcards to their senators to combat global warming.
Lisa Winnagle shakes a rattle to the beat of Baaba Seth' music Saturday, April 19, 1998, at the Earth Day concert at Mayo Island.
Michelle Hand and Chris Hunter, both of Augusta, dance to the beat of Baaba Seth' music Saturday, April 19, 1998, at the Earth Day concert at Mayo Island.
Large crowd gathers on Mayo Island to celebrate Earth Day.
Richmond fire officials have not determined the cause of the blaze at the paper warehouse, 508 S. 14th St. on Mayo's Island. April 3, 1989.
Ahnna Rinaldi, 10 of Sandston, holds at red rat snake (also known as a corn snake) during the Fish Festival now incorporated into the Earth Day festivities on Mayo Island on April 19, 2008. In background is naturalist Ralph White.
Jayden Tatum, 4 of Baltimore, gets some help from his dad while learning to fish at the James River during the Fish Festival now incorporated into the Earth Day festivities on Mayo Island on April 19, 2008.
Watched by Orvis' Dale Huggins, Quraan Randolph, 7 of Baltimore learns to fly cast during the Fish Festival now incorporated into the Earth Day festivities on Mayo Island on April 19, 2008.
James "Tony" Borst has lived on the small islands near the Mayo bridge and downtown Richmond on and off for the past 20 years. Here, Borst is seen on Devil's Kitchen Island with a view of downtown Richmond in the background.
Joseph "J.D." Osborne has lived on the islands in the James River near the Mayo bridge and downtown Richmond on and off for over 10 years. Here, Osborne, originally from Mecklenburg, Va., relaxes near his campsite on May 29, 2009.
With fly rod in hand, Dale Huggins discusses shad fishing strategy on the James River near Mayo Island. The Hickory shad, and to a lesser extent the American shad, have begun their annual run upstream to spawn.
Young people listen to the music of Everlast at Mayo Island in Richmond Aug.14, 1999
Michael Tobin , men' s XTERRA winner crosses the finish line at Mayo's Island . July 18,1999
Staff writer Chris Suarez contributed to this report.
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A Richmond man who provided a false story about how his 3-week-old daughter died in a letter to Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney has been sentenced…
In March 2018, Mayor Levar Stoney (left) and Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., (right) spoke during a gun safety rally in Richmond.
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