Tim Walz’s stolen valor problem keeps getting worse.
Soon after Kamala Harris announced that she had chosen Walz for her running mate, a video emerged showing him falsely claiming to be a combat veteran.
A 2007 video has surfaced showing Tim Walz falsely claiming he was deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
“I spent 24 years in the National Guard, some of that full-time. I was an artilleryman. I deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. My battalion provided base security throughout the European theater from Turkey to England in the early stages of the war in Afghanistan. And that same battalion is now in Iraq at this time,” Tim Walz said on C-SPAN.
Watch:
STOLEN VALOR gets worse for Kamala Harris’ VP pick…
— Kylie Jane Kremer (@KylieJaneKremer) August 7, 2024
Here is @Tim_Walz on CSPAN back in 2007 on his military service:
“𝐈 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝟐𝟒 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝, 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥-𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞. 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐦𝐚𝐧.
𝐈… pic.twitter.com/j4JlWT5B1O
Breaking Digest reported that an account linked to Kamala Harris released a video of Walz delivering an anti-gun speech. The video’s date and location are unclear, but it seems to be from a town hall-style meeting.
In the video, Walz stated, “I’ll take my kick in the butt from the NRA. I spent 25 years in the Army and I hunt. And I gave the money back. And I’ll tell you what I have been doing, I’ve been voting for common sense legislation that protects the Second Amendment, but we can do background checks. We can research the impacts of gun violence… We can make sure those weapons of war, that I carried in war, are only carried in war.”
The problem is Walz never saw a single day of combat in Iraq or anywhere else, for that matter.
Walz dropped out of the Army after his unit was deployed to Iraq.
Watch:
Gov. @Tim_Walz: I spent 25 years in the Army and I hunt. I’ve been voting for common sense legislation that protects the Second Amendment, but we can do background checks. We can research the impacts of gun violence. We can make sure those weapons of war, that I carried in war,… pic.twitter.com/3IVaXi2RP2
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) August 6, 2024
Two high-ranking former military officers accused Walz of “stolen valor,” claiming he falsely presented himself as a veteran to gain benefits.
The retired leaders stated that it is their duty to reveal what they described as a pattern of deception regarding Walz’s military career.
In a 2018 endorsement letter to the West Central Tribune, retired Command Sergeant Majors Thomas Behrends and Paul Herr recounted their extensive experiences with Gov. Walz during his time in the state’s National Guard. In the letter, Behrends and Herr describe a pattern of procedural disregard by Gov. Walz, and alleged that he ultimately ran his successful 2018 campaign for office on the military service that he failed to complete.
Following are some key takeaways from the letter:
- Reenlistment and Academy Enrollment: Tim Walz reenlisted in the Minnesota Army National Guard on September 18, 2001, committing to a six-year term. He was selected to attend the prestigious United States Army Sergeants Major Academy but failed to complete the course, which comes with specific obligations.
- Deployment and Promotion: In late summer 2003, Walz deployed with the 1-125th Field Artillery Battalion to Italy for Operation Enduring Freedom. Upon returning to Minnesota in 2004, he was conditionally promoted to Command Sergeant Major but did not meet the conditions required for that promotion.
- Quitting Before Deployment: In early 2005, as his unit prepared for mobilization to Iraq, Walz abruptly quit, leaving his fellow soldiers without leadership. His rationale—claiming he needed to retire to run for Congress—has been challenged by the retired sergeants major, who argue he could have sought permission to run while remaining in service.
- Misrepresentation of Service: The letter highlights discrepancies in Walz’s statements about his military tenure. While he claims to be the highest-ranking enlisted service member ever to serve in Congress, critics point out that he was only conditionally promoted and subsequently reduced in rank due to his departure from the academy.
The retired Command Sergeants Major of the Minnesota National Guard criticized Walz for leaving before fulfilling his obligations, not completing the academy, and misrepresenting his service record. They argued that he ultimately let down his country, state, unit, and fellow soldiers.
Read the retired officers’ scathing letter here.
Now, even CNN is starting to talk about Tim Walz’s stolen valor scandal, pointing out that Walz’s language suggested that he carried weapons in a fighting situation.
“Walz did make a comment, speaking to a group, he’s done it a couple times, where he has used language that suggested that he carried weapons in a fighting situation… There is a difference from being in a combat area, being involved at a time of war, and actually being in a position where people are shooting at you. There is no evidence that any time that he was in the position of being shot at and some of his language could easily be seen to suggest that he was,” CNN correspondent Tom Foreman said.
Watch:
CNN is beginning to discuss Tim Walz’s stolen valor problem.
— Joey Mannarino (@JoeyMannarinoUS) August 7, 2024
Let’s make sure this gains steam and destroys him. pic.twitter.com/RIMpmxVkqa
