Let’s take a look into the recent controversy surrounding Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who’s been under fire for making misleading statements about his military service. Walz, who is now Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate, recently tried to address these criticisms in his first major interview since becoming the Democratic Party’s de facto nominee.
The interview, conducted by CNN’s Dana Bash, didn’t exactly go smoothly for Walz, as he struggled to explain away his past exaggerations.
Here’s what happened: Bash confronted Walz about previous claims where he said he had “carried weapons of war in war,” despite the fact that he never actually served in a combat zone during his time in the National Guard.
This wasn’t just a slip of the tongue—it was a statement that many felt misrepresented his military experience. When asked if he had misspoken, Walz tried to downplay the issue by suggesting that his grammar wasn’t always perfect and that his emotional passion for preventing school shootings might have led him to speak carelessly.
Tim Walz just said (falsely) that he would never “demean another member’s service and I never have.”
Here he is demeaning Minnesota National Guard members as “19 year old cooks.” pic.twitter.com/GgLWPQCeUO
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) August 30, 2024
Walz began by reiterating how proud he is of his 24 years of service in the Army National Guard, as well as his work as a public school teacher, congressman, and governor. He then attributed his misleading comments to his manner of speaking, claiming that he speaks like regular people do and sometimes lets his emotions get the better of him. “I speak especially passionately about our children being shot in schools and around guns,” he explained, suggesting that his passion might have led to his exaggerated statements.
But Bash wasn’t letting him off the hook that easily. She pressed further, asking whether his claim of being “in war” was simply a mistake, as his campaign had suggested. Walz responded by admitting that his grammar might not have been correct and that his wife, who is an English teacher, had pointed this out to him.
He then shifted the conversation, saying that instead of focusing on this issue, critics were attacking his family and even his dog, and he refused to engage in demeaning other members’ military service.
However, this explanation didn’t sit well with everyone. Critics, including radio host Clay Travis, were quick to pounce on Walz’s response.
Travis tweeted, “Tim Walz asked about lying and claiming he carried weapons in war said, ‘My grammar’s not always correct.’ Holy crap. He’s a moron. He’s had a month to come up with a response and this is it?!” Others pointed out that Walz had previously referred to National Guard troops as “19-year-old cooks” during the riots following George Floyd’s death, further calling into question his respect for those serving in the Guard.
