Vice President Harris’ campaign dismissed criticism of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s military background, saying the vice presidential candidate “misspoke” in a video pushing for gun control when he said he used combat weapons during his campaign. time in the National Guard.
“Governor Walz would never insult or undermine any American’s service to this country – in fact, he thanks Senator Vance for putting his life on the line for our country,” a spokesperson for the Harris-Walz campaign said in a statement emailed to The Hill.
“It’s the American way,” the spokesperson continued. “In defending the reason why weapons of war should never be on our streets or in our classrooms, the Governor was wrong. He has handled weapons of war and firmly believes that only military personnel trained to carry these deadly weapons should have access to them, unlike [former President] Donald Trump and [Sen.] JD Vance [(R-Ohio)] who prioritize the gun lobby over our children.”
In the clip, Walz said, “We can ensure that the weapons of war I carried in war are only carried in war.”
The governor of the state of Estrela do Norte faced a series of attacks from the right over his military record. Vance, who served in the Marines, criticized Walz for his military record, accusing Harris’ running mate of “stolen valor,” noting that the Minnesota Democrat left the service before deploying to Iraq.
“I wonder, Tim Walz, when have you been to war?” Vance, former President Trump’s running mate said during 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.”
Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who served in the Trump administration, also pressed Walz to clarify his military background — stopping short of launching his own attacks on the Minnesota governor.
“I think some of the attacks have no merit,” Esper, who served in the Trump administration, said Friday afternoon in an interview with 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, talk about the issues,” he said, before the campaign issued its rebuttal.
Walz and Vance stand out as veterans of national tours, the first since the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) ran for president in 2008 — though neither vice presidential hopeful served a combat mission.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
