Harris campaign misrepresents Walz's congressional accomplishments amid military records scrutiny

The Harris campaign misrepresented the congressional accomplishments of Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz in a statement widely reported by the corporate media.

Harris campaign spokesman James Singer falsely said Walz served as chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee during his tenure as a federal lawmaker in a statement about the “stolen value” scandal ” that revolved around the vice president. Kamala Harris running mate Walz was only the ranking member of the committee, and the statement was reported by media included The Associated Press, axes, politician, PBSi NBC news.

“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 America will continue to be a relentless champion for our veterans and military families,” Singer said in the statement.

JD Vance slams Tim Walz's 'disgraceful' exit from Army upon learning of his battalion's upcoming deployment to Iraq pic.twitter.com/iSwfuWEIR2

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) August 7, 2024

Walz was a member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, and he he became the top Democrat on the committee in 2017. However, Democrats were in the minority at the time, meaning he was the committee's ranking member, not the chairman.

The Harris campaign biography page because Walz notes that he was the ranking member of the committee. The website makes no reference to Walz ever chairing the committee.

After his two years as the ranking member of the committee, Walz left the House to run for governor of Minnesota. Walz won that election and subsequently won re-election before Harris tapped him to be his running mate in the 2024 presidential contest against former President Donald Trump and Ohio Republican Sen. JD Vance.

Walz's military service record has come under considerable scrutiny in recent days. Walz was a member of the Minnesota National Guard for 24 years and deployed to Italy in 2003. seconds in the Washington Post, but it has been accused by other veterans to withdraw from the force and report to Congress once it became clear that the unit might be deployed to Iraq.

A 2005 officer press release issued by Walz's congressional campaign included a quote from Walz showing that he knew there was at least a possibility that his unit might be sent to Iraq. At a news conference Wednesday in Michigan, Vance, a U.S. Marine who deployed to Iraq, called Walz complained about not deploying with the rest of his unit and accused the governor of Minnesota of “stolen value.”

Walz has also used language in the past that could lead one to believe he was deployed to a war zone. For example, in 2018 comments on gun control, Walz he said “We can make sure that these weapons of war, which I brought to war, are the only place where these weapons are found.”

Walz has also drawn fire for possibly misrepresenting his rank, referring to himself as a retired command sergeant major when he was only conditionally promoted to that rank before failing to complete the training necessary to earn it permanently, the Minnesota National Guard. he said Wednesday news only. Harris campaign quietly altered his bio page for Walz to reflect that nuance on Thursday.

The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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