The controversy surrounding Tim Walz's claims about his military service is not dying down.
In fact, Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), a retired National Guard member with four decades of service, has challenged Walz to release his emails and documents about his military service and deployments publicly to show that he has nothing to hide.
"He should just release them if he is proud of his service [and] if he is proud of the things.....all of us, generally speaking, are proud of our uniform service......our military service, and [if] he is proud of those conversations and his decision making thoughts at that moment," Perry said Thursday on the John Solomon Reports podcast.
Accusations that Walz lied about his service have ramped up in recent weeks since Vice President and Democrat Presidential nominee Kamala Harris chose the Minnesota Governor as her running mate in 2024.
Walz claimed in his autobiography and initially on the Harris campaign website that he retired from the military as a "command sergeant major," but the campaign site later changed this to reflect the fact that he was demoted before his retirement.
"He essentially just lied about the rank that he achieved because he never achieved that rank. He didn't retire at that rank," Perry, who retired in 2019 from the National Guard as an Army brigadier general and flying combat missions in Iraq, said.
Walz was also accused of suddenly retiring when his unit was called up to be deployed to Iraq in 2005 to avoid having to go to the war zone.
Perry suggested that his avoidance of military deployment would be reflective of his service as vice president.
"He's going to be willing to accept the good parts of service, but when it comes to the sacrifices that come with service, he's going to cut and run," Perry said. "You know how we know that? Because we've seen him do it."
Republican veterans--50 of them--signed a letter on Wednesday blasting Walz for lying about his military service.
“The Office of the Vice President is a position that requires the trust of the American people and a solemn commitment to duty on behalf of the United States of America,” the letter stated. “As veterans who have served our nation, we feel compelled to address your egregious misrepresentations and urge you to come clean to the American people.”
“You have stated that you are ‘damn proud’ of your service, and like any American veteran, you should be,” it continued. “But there is no honor in lying about the nature of your service. Repeatedly claiming to be a ‘Retired Command Sergeant Major’ when you did not complete the requirements was not honorable."
The House Oversight Committee noted that it is investigating Walz for having connections to the Chinese Communist Party.
"Mr. Walz has visited China 30 times, served as a fellow at a Chinese institution that maintains a devotion to the CCP, and spoke alongside the President of a Chinese organization the State Department exposed as a CCP effort to influence and co-opt local leaders," the House Oversight Committee wrote on the social media platform, X.
