Controversy over Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s case military service That record is at the center of Capitol Hill’s latest political storm, with heavyweights from both parties voicing their opinions in favor of the new Democratic vice presidential nominee.
Republicans are accusing Walz of misrepresenting details about his 24-year career in the National Guard — GOP lawmakers who served in the military have attacked him since he left the National Guard and ran for Congress shortly before his unit deployed to Iraq.
Democratic heavyweights in Congress defended him, saying Walz had passed his 20-year retirement eligibility period, and calling the GOP attacks baseless.
“Right now the veterans community is upset that Tim Walz is refusing to answer questions about his military record,” Rep. Mike Waltz, a Republican-Fla., the first former Green Beret elected to Congress, told Fox News Digital. “(He) has misled voters about his military rank, and it appears he abandoned his people before deploying to Iraq. We expect leaders to lead by example, and that’s not what this is.”
J.D. Vance accuses Tim Walz of ‘lying’ about military service: ‘Trash of stolen valor’
From left: Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Florida, a former Green Beret, is leading House GOP attacks on the military record of Minnesota Gov. Tim Waltz, while Democratic veterans like Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., are defending him. (Getty Images)
Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., a retired Navy SEAL who served multiple combat tours, told Fox News Digital, “He abandoned his troops and their families at a time when they needed him most before a combat deployment. He sat on the sidelines in Minnesota while his troops risked their lives in Iraq. That’s a cardinal sin for anyone who has honorably served our country. God forbid he’s ever one moment away from becoming commander in chief.”
The Harris campaign countered the GOP offensive with a press call hosted by House Democratic military veteran Reps. Jason Crow, D-Colo.; Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass.; and Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J.
“Our officers and enlisted men say he’s an exemplary, admirable soldier,” said Auchincloss, a former Marine, adding that the attacks against Walz were made “in bad faith.”
Crowe, a retired Army Ranger, said, “It shows how morally bankrupt they are. They have no ideas. They have no vision for the future. All they can do is attack, lie, distort and deprave.”
The controversy began when Senator J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, A former Marine and running mate of former President Trump accused Walz of “stealing valor.”
Vice President Kamala Harris chose Walz as her vice presidential running mate earlier this week. (Reuters/Kevin Mohatt/Pool)
“When the United States Marine Corps asked me to go to Iraq to serve my country, I did so. I did what they asked me to do, and I did it honorably, and I’m very proud of my service,” Vance said during a media event this week.
Crowe responded to Vance on Twitter, “It is not appropriate to falsely discredit the service of a fellow veteran for personal gain. You have lost your way.”
Walz served in the National Guard for 20 years before retiring and re-enlisting after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He retired two months before his unit received orders to deploy to Iraq. Promoting charges Critics say he quit to avoid deployment.
“Tim Walz served honorably. He served for 24 years,” Auchincloss said Thursday. “He had already decided to run for the United States Congress before his battalion was informed of its impending deployment to Iraq.”
CNN fact-checks Tim Walz’s claim he carried a weapon ‘into battle’.
He compared his record to that of Trump, who has been accused by his critics of dodging the Vietnam War draft because he avoided it on medical grounds, and accused him of having an “abhorrent record of insulting veterans.”
Minnesota’s governor has never been deployed to a combat zone. Vance served in Iraq for six months in a non-combat role after the 2001 invasion.
The National Guard has said Walz also claimed on multiple occasions that he had retired from the rank of command sergeant major, which is not true — he returned to his previous rank after retirement because he had not completed the required related courses.
Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., also criticized Walz. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
This inspired the Harris-Walz campaign To update your biography The page went from saying he was a “retired Command Sergeant Major” to “served as Command Sergeant Major.”
The place where Walz spent his deployment also has been a hotbed of conflict between the right and the left. During his reenlistment, Walz deployed to Italy in 2005 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, according to the National Guard.
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“In the early stages of the war in Afghanistan, my battalion provided base security throughout the European region, from Turkey to England,” he said in an interview with C-Span.
Critics have called this a misstatement and accused him of falsely claiming to have been deployed to Afghanistan. However, it is unclear from the reports whether Walz has ever said he deployed to Afghanistan.
Fox News Digital has contacted the Harris-Walz campaign for comment.
Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report
