The Republican Party continues to criticize Minnesota Governor Tim Walz over his military record, with Harris’ campaign pivoting quickly to quell new questions about his deployment during the Afghanistan war.
Walz’s 24 years in the Army National Guard have been under intense scrutiny by Republicans since he was chosen as Vice President Harris’ running mate, especially over whether he misrepresented his service.
In the latest attack, Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) — chairman of the House Armed Services Military Personnel Subcommittee — sent a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin asking whether Walz’s embellishments amounted to “stolen value.”
This comes after a flood of Republican lawmakers led by vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance (Ohio) criticized Waltz for leaving the Guard ahead of his unit’s deployment to Iraq.
Vance, himself a Marine Corps veteran, also criticized Walz over a 2018 clip of him speaking out against gun violence, in which he says, “Can we ensure that these weapons of war, which I carried into war, are the only place where these weapons are. Observations suggest that Walz portrayed himself as if he were in a combat zone.
In Thursday’s letter to Austin, first reported by AxiosBanks writes about his concerns about how Walz represented his time in the Guard.
“The American people deserve transparency in the military records of service members serving in public office and especially when they represent that service as credentials for public office,” he wrote.
“Misrepresentation and deception intended to mislead the public about their service erodes the integrity of our military and impacts every American who chooses to serve.”
Harris’ presidential campaign quickly attempted damage control, issuing a statement Friday that said Walz “misspoke” in the video released by the campaign last week, according to a campaign spokesperson.
“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. It’s the American way,” they said in a statement, as well as reported by NBC News.
“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 wield these deadly weapons should have access to them, unlike Donald Trump and JD Vance, who prioritize the gun lobby over our children.” .
The campaign also updated its online biography of Walz’s military service, noting on its website that he previously served at the rank of sergeant major. The change, first reported by Politico, is a small adjustment from its previous reference to the vice presidential candidate as a “retired command sergeant major.”
The website for Walz’s Minnesota government office still describes him as “Sergeant Major Walz.”
Walz served as a command sergeant major while in the army, but retired one step up as a command sergeant major as he had not completed the courses required for the highest rank.
The National Guard has said in the past that Walz served as a sergeant major while in the Guard.
“Walz achieved the rank of command sergeant major and served in that role, but retired as a master sergeant in 2005 for benefits purposes due to not completing additional courses,” said Army Public Affairs Officer Lt. Col. Kristen Augé, in a 2022 report. statement to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
But that hasn’t stopped Republicans from accusing the Minnesota governor of stolen bravery, the act of using or claiming to have received undeserved military decorations or ranks.
The attacks have been a major component of the Republican Party’s offensive against the Harris-Walz ticket, as they seek to counter the overwhelming wave of support for Democrats immediately after Walz was announced as the running mate.
Vance, who was deployed to Iraq but never saw combat, suggested that Walz was inflating his credentials and that he abandoned his unit before his deployment to Iraq to avoid serving in a war zone.
“When Tim Walz was invited by his country to go to Iraq, do you know what he did? He abandoned the Army and allowed his unit to do without him,” Vance said at a campaign event in Michigan on Wednesday.
And in his letter, Banks presses the Pentagon about when Walz began his retirement process, whether he was “deployed overseas to Iraq or Afghanistan to serve in combat,” and whether he misrepresented his service.
He also asked Austin whether he believes Walz “falsely claiming to have carried a combat weapon in war constitutes stolen valor” and whether there are consequences for service members who lie about their military record.
Democrats, however, firmly rejected the allegations, noting that Walz left the military to run for the US House in May 2005, before a deployment order was given to his unit in August of that year. A man who served under Walz supported this claim, saying Nation NewsJoe Khalil that Walz suspected he might be deployed soon, but received no such official order at the time of his retirement.
“After 24 years of military service, Governor Walz retired in 2005 and ran for Congress, where he chaired Veterans Affairs and was a tireless advocate for our men and women in uniform – and as Vice President of the United States he will continue to be a relentless advocate for our veterans and military families,” Harris’ campaign said in a statement of support.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
