Dem VP nominee applauds son for anti-Trump riot arrest

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., (left) and son, Linwood Kaine (right)

WASHINGTON – Sen. Tim Kaine, the 2016 vice-presidential nominee, had strong words of encouragement for his 24-year-old son, arrested over the weekend for participating in a protest of Donald Trump's appearance in Minnesota that degenerated into a riot in which a smoke bomb was detonated outside the state capitol.

The senator from Virginia issued a statement saying: "We love that our children have their own views and concerns about current political issues. They fully understand the responsibility to express those concerns peacefully."

If that wasn't clear enough, Kaine appeared on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program with Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski Tuesday with fiery rhetoric encouraging more anti-Trump confrontations including fighting "in the streets."

"What we've got to do is fight in Congress, fight in the courts, fight in the streets, fight online, fight at the ballot box, and now there's the momentum to be able to do this," said Kaine, once considered a "moderate" Democrat. "And we're not afraid of the popular outcry, we're energized by it and that's going to help us do our job and do it better."

Watch a video of Kaine's statements:

His son, Linwood Kaine, had to be wrestled to the ground Saturday when officers arrested him and four others near the Minnesota state capital.

The Twin Cities Pioneer Press reported Linwood Michael Kaine, Kaine's youngest son, was released Tuesday from the Ramsey County Jail. The group invaded a peaceful pro-Trump rally, setting off smoke bombs and fireworks, blowing air horns, chanting and blowing whistles. The five were arrested on suspicion of second-degree rioting.

Steve Linder, spokesman for the St. Paul Police Department, said Minnesota State Patrol asked the agency to arrest five suspects, all dressed in black, including Kaine. The tried to evade arrest by running in different directions when police arrived.

The group invaded a pro-Trump demonstration at the Minnesota state capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota. The newspaper said the group set off a smoke bomb, blew air horns, chanted and whistled. The five were arrested on suspicion of second-degree rioting.

Police said Kaine resisted arrest when he was caught and an officer tried to bring him to the ground. He had to be sprayed with a chemical irritant and struck by an officer's knee before being apprehended.

Before running for vice president, Sen. Kaine served as governor of Virginia, lieutenant governor and mayor of Richmond.

His son, known as "Woody," was released from jail Tuesday. He lives in Minneapolis, occupation unknown. Sen. Kaine and his wife, Anne, have two other children.

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Kaine indicated on MSNBC that he believes continued protests are the way to rebuild his party, shaken by the defeat at the polls in November.

"We are so excited that the American public is energized to speak out against the abuses of this administration," Kaine said. "Democratic senators led health-care rallies – Save Our Healthcare – on Martin Luther King Day in about 75 cities around the country, including Richmond. Tens of thousands of people rallied to save our health care. Then, the Women's March that was organized at a grassroots level. Then, people coming out in protest of these orders."

Kaine's incendiary language mimics what former Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a video posted on the Senate Democrats Facebook page over the weekend in an plea for more marching, blood and death on the streets.

Saying it's a time of fear and uncertainty in the nation, she encouraged Americans to do what has worked in the past.

"They've marched, they've bled and yes, some of them died," she said. "This is hard. Every good thing is. We have done this before. We can do this again."