Less than a week has passed since Vice President Kamala Harris announced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate for the 2024 presidential race. However, Walz’s military background, which would typically be an asset in an election campaign, has now come under attack by Republicans.
The controversy began when the Harris campaign resurfaced a 2018 video of Walz discussing his views on gun control. In the clip, Walz stated, “We can make sure those weapons of war that I carried in war are only carried in war.”
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Before entering politics, Walz served 24 years in the Army National Guard and was deployed to Italy in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks. However, some Republicans are now using his comments about the weapons he used in war to question his military service and even accuse him of stolen valor.
WATCH | Asa Hutchinson weighs in on why Walz’s military record is under scrutiny
Asa Hutchinson: Walz “misrepresented the facts about his service record”
During a recent campaign event, Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance alleged that Walz never went to war and claimed that he abandoned his unit just before they were deployed to Iraq in the early 2000s. Vance, who served in Iraq as a Marine, reiterated these claims in an interview with CNN.
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In response, the Harris campaign stated that Walz “misspoke,” as reported by CNN. Transportation Secretary and Navy veteran Pete Buttigieg defended Walz on CNN’s “State of the Union,” criticizing Vance’s comments as disparaging.
“The fact that a veteran would disparage another veteran goes against everything I learned during my time in service,” Buttigieg remarked. “It’s rare to find Tim Walz not being precise and accurate in his statements.”
