A 2007 video shows vice presidential hopeful Tim Walz accepting then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's congratulations for his service "on the battlefield" in 2007, Breitbart reported. The Minnesota governor has never gone to war and has been slammed for lying about his time in the Army National Guard.
The clip was first reshared by Chuck Ross at the Free Beacon amid continued questions about Walz's military service. In it, Pelosi gushed about the then-congressman's service.
"He will speak for himself, but I want him to know how much we all appreciate his service to our country, whether it’s in the classroom or on the battlefield," Pelosi said. Rather than setting the record straight, Walz simply replied, "Thank you, Madam Speaker."
CRAZY NANCY: “We all appreciate his service … on the battlefield.”
WALZ: “Thank you, Madam Speaker.”
(Walz, who has repeatedly lied about his service, was never “on the battlefield.”)pic.twitter.com/WbSuBuR8x9
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 9, 2024
Walz likes to tout his military service in the context of implementing some awful progressive policy. However, the people around him know the truth about his record.
Retired Minnesota National Guard Command Sgt. Maj. Paul Herr set the record straight in 2018 and is doing it again in the media. Herr appeared Thursday on Fox & Friends to discuss Walz's actual record compared to the narrative crafted to bolster his political career.
"He continually claims that he's a retired [sergeant] major. He is not, he is a retired master sergeant," Herr pointed out. While Walz initially received the promotion, his retirement voided it.
"And then, of course, he never entered into the Sergeant Majors Academy. He never did one scrap of work. That takes years," Herr added.
"He signed a commitment letter saying that he was going to do that job. He didn't, and he was stripped of that title when he left the Minnesota National Guard, yet he still claims to do it," Herr said.
Walz also lied about the circumstances of his retirement just before his unit was deployed to Iraq. Herr said that Walz was "having backroom conversations with other people, other entities inside the Minnesota National Guard, to ensure that he could retire" before heading to Iraw while still stating publicly that he was headed to war.
Although the record has been public for years, Walz's position as Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate has renewed interest in it. Another unearthed 2018 clip showed Walz speaking about using "weapons in war" when pushing gun control, NBC News reported.
GOP vice presidential hopeful Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, a Marine veteran, excoriated Walz for saying this despite never firing a shot in battle. This has forced the Democratic campaign to respond. They have decided Walz "misspoke" when he touted his military prowess.
"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," a spokesperson for the Harris campaign said.
"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 [Former President] Donald Trump and JD Vance, who prioritize the gun lobby over our children,” the spokesperson charged.
For years, Walz has been massaging the details of his lackluster military career for clout. Being untruthful about something so serious and near and dear to Americans is criminal, and voters will surely recognize that.
