Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper has asked Democratic vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.) to clarify his military record amid Republican allegations that Walz lied about details of his service.
“I think some of the attacks have no merit,” Esper, who served in the Trump administration, said Friday night on CNN. “Some, I think, need to be clarified by Governor Walz. He should talk about it. The fact that this has been going on for a few days now, in my opinion, means he should just come out and talk about the issues.”
“Clarify where I think he probably misspoke or people would say they were misled and set the record straight,” he added in the interview, highlighted by Mediaite. “But take that off the table and get back to focusing on the bigger issues that are out there.”
Walz, who served in the Minnesota National Guard for 24 years, retired months before his unit deployed to Iraq in 2006. He was running for Congress at the time.
Members of his unit said he retired before knowing they would be deployed, while others said he knew and “abandoned” them.
“Tim Walz abandoned his fellow soldiers shortly after his deployment to Iraq,” he said Rep. Brian Mast (R-Florida), a combat veteran who served in Afghanistan. “He chose Congress over combat. He is not fit to be near the commander-in-chief.”
Walz also faced criticism for speaking about his experience with “weapons of war” in combat while advocating for gun control in the US. The governor, chosen earlier this week to be Vice President Harris’ running mate, has never served in an active combat zone.
“We can ensure that the weapons of war I carried in war are only carried in war,” Walz said. said in a video released by the Harris campaign.
Republicans, led by Senator JD Vance (R-Ohio), former President Trump’s running mate, accused the Minnesota Democrat of “stolen valor.”
“I wonder, Tim Walz, when have you been to war?” Vance, who also served in the military, at a campaign stop in Michigan. “He didn’t spend a day in a combat zone… I would be embarrassed if I were him and lied about my military service like he did.”
Since Esper’s comments on CNN, a spokesperson for the Harris-Walz campaign released a statement saying the governor “misspoke.”
“In defending why weapons of war should never be on our streets or in our classrooms, the Governor was wrong,” the spokesperson told The Hill in a statement. “He has handled weapons of war and strongly believes that only military personnel trained to carry these deadly weapons should have access to them, unlike Donald Trump and JD Vance who prioritize the gun lobby over our children.”
Republicans also attacked Walz for claiming a higher rank in the National Guard than he actually achieved. In Congress, Walz said he was the highest-rated enlisted soldier ever elected.
“I proudly finished 20 years in the U.S. Navy with multiple deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq – I retired as Master Chief,” said Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), a Navy veteran. said in a post on X. “Yes, that makes me the highest-ranked enlisted member to ever serve in Congress. A claim that Governor Walz falsely paraded. It is important to report DISHONESTY. Tim Walz must be immediately WITHDRAWN as Vice President nominee.”
Walz says he is a command sergeant major, a rank he has temporarily achieved. However, he never completed the related assessments, so he retired as a sergeant major.
The Minnesota National Guard said it is correct to say Walz served as a sergeant major, but it is incorrect to list that he retired as such, by CBS.
According to Politico, Harris’ campaign has since been updated Walz’s biography on his website to reflect the difference.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
