Amid the ongoing controversy over Tim Walz’s military record, whether he opted out of the service just before his unit’s deployment in Iraq, the Harris-Walz campaign took a step back and admitted that yes, Tim Walz “misspoke” when he talked about carrying weapons in war — in 2018. The video resurfaced after Walz’s rival Ohio senator JD Vance called Walz’s military record as “stolen valor” and that he never went to war.
“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,” the Harris campaign spokesperson said in a statement to NBC News.
“In making the case for why weapons of war should never be on our streets or in our classrooms, the Governor misspoke. He did handle weapons of war and believes strongly that only military members trained to carry those deadly weapons should have access to them, unlike Donald Trump and JD Vance who prioritize the gun lobby over our children,” the spokesperson added.
Harris-Walz campaign: ‘Stolen valor’ hit hard
Kamala Harris‘ running mate Tim Walz served 24 years in the military. But it was JD Vance who claimed that he never went to any war but talked about ‘carrying weapons’ in war. JD also alleged that Tim Walz retired from the service in 2005 to avoid deployment.
“I spent 25 years in the Army and I hunt. I’ve been voting for common sense legislation that protects the Second Amendment, but we can do background checks. We can research the impacts of gun violence. We can make sure those weapons of war, that I carried in war, are only carried in war,” Tim Walz said in the viral video which Harris campaign also shared.
“I wonder Tim Walz, when were you ever in war? What was this weapon you carried into war? What bothers me about Tim Walz is this stolen valor garbage. Do not pretend to be something that you’re not,” Vance said raising the issue.
The Harris campaign earlier issued a statement saying that Tim Walz trained in carrying arms and he would never insult or undermine any American’s service to the country and thanks JD Vance for putting his life on the line for the country.