I've got to admit, I'm confused about all of those "stolen valor" claims that Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance is leveling at his opponent, Democrat vice presidential candidate Tim Walz. Walz has made many claims that he saw combat and fought in the War on Terror.
Matt Woking dug up a photo of Walz holding an "Enduring Freedom Veterans for Kerry" sign, which would place Walz in Afghanistan, most likely, not Italy, where he was briefly stationed.
Tim Walz held a sign in 2004 falsely identifying himself as an Operation “Enduring Freedom veteran,” even though he never served in Afghanistan. https://t.co/e4wRUWS08N pic.twitter.com/egUG45GtNx
— Matt Wolking (@MattWolking) August 8, 2024
Newsweek reports that Walz lied about his rank on his website.
Minnesota National Guard confirms Tim Walz lied about his rank too https://t.co/klw15cAW6J
— Sunny (@sunnyright) August 8, 2024
"The Minnesota National Guard is disputing Governor Tim Walz's military biography, saying that the Democratic vice presidential candidate did not hold the rank of command sergeant major at the time of his retirement," Newsweek reports.
I've heard that he abandoned his battalion by retiring right before they were to be deployed to Iraq. Some say he retired before knowing that, but a National Guard press release says differently.
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Here’s an archived March 2005 National Guard press release diagramming the potential mobilization, complete with quotes from Walz himself implying he intended to go with them.
— Geoffrey Ingersoll (@GPIngersoll) August 8, 2024
Clearly some communications were occurring prior to the alert order. https://t.co/5jE6nTumU5 https://t.co/zcFFNd2whe pic.twitter.com/hMxPspxSBK
"As Command Sergeant Major I have a responsibility not only to ready my battalion for Iraq, but also to serve if called on. I am dedicated to serving my country to the best of my ability, whether that is in Washington, D.C. or in Iraq," it reads.
Jake Tapper has said it's "crazy" to entertain these accusations of stolen valor.
Fortunately, CBS News has stepped forward with a fact-check, listing each campaign's claims.
CBS just published a “fact check” on Instagram into Walz’s stolen valor.
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 8, 2024
They cited a Harris-Walz campaign spokesman who claimed Walz “chaired Veterans Affairs” in Congress.
Except Walz was never the Veterans Affairs Committee chair. pic.twitter.com/nLiXWp7PWx
They just reprinted a Dem campaign spokesperson and called it a fact-check. Typical. https://t.co/mvNpLYvQLg
— John Ekdahl (@JohnEkdahl) August 8, 2024
CBS News reports:
Walz has said he left the guard to run for Congress, according to the Star Tribune. In 2006, Walz won his election to Congress against a six-term Republican incumbent.
Records show Walz officially filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission on Feb. 10, 2005.
In March 2005, the National Guard announced a possible partial mobilization of roughly 2,000 troops from the Minnesota National Guard, according to an archived press release from Tim Walz for U.S. Congress.
"I do not yet know if my artillery unit will be part of this mobilization and I am unable to comment further on the specifics of the deployment," said Walz in the March 2005 statement.
The statement continued: "As Command Sergeant Major I have a responsibility not only to ready my battalion for Iraq, but also to serve if called on. I am dedicated to serving my country to the best of my ability, whether that is in Washington DC or Iraq," said Walz, who indicated at the time he had no plans to drop out of the race. "I am fortunate to have a strong group of enthusiastic support and a very dedicated and intelligent wife. Both will be a major part of my campaign, whether I am in Minnesota or Iraq."
So I know he was never in Iraq or Afghanistan, but he was stationed in Italy for a short time.
As I reported the other day, a crazed Nancy Pelosi demanded to know of Andrea Mitchell whether Vance ever served in combat. The answer is no, but Vance hasn't claimed otherwise. Walz has.
Tim Walz was stationed for a brief stint in Vicenza, Italy, which is one of the Army's most coveted duty stations.
— Jordan Schachtel @ dossier.today (@JordanSchachtel) August 8, 2024
He came home declaring he had just served in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), misleading Americans into believing that he fought in Afghanistan.
A serial fraud.
A letter from soldiers who served with Walz said "Tim Walz has embellished & selectively omitted facts & circumstances of his military career." That certainly seems to be the case.
I personally hope this fight dies down and Vance focuses more on Harris' record. She's assisted in the destruction of the country for more than three years, and we have video of her campaigning in 2020 on a platform of banning fracking and offshore drilling and a guaranteed government jobs program through the Green New Deal. Now she's out campaigning saying her priority will be to bring down prices. She's vice president … why doesn't she do something now? She certainly appears as if she's the acting president.
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