U.S. Army Colonel holds Tim Walz’s feet to the fire in CNN interview
Tim Walz wants to hide his history. But he’s not being let off that easy.
As a U.S. Army Colonel is holding Tim Walz’s feet to the fire in a stunning CNN interview.
In a recent exchange, CNN anchor Brianna Keilar and Republican Florida Rep. Mike Waltz, a former U.S. Army Colonel, clashed over claims concerning Democratic Minnesota Governor and vice-presidential nominee Tim Walz’s military service. The heated debate unfolded as Waltz joined 49 other Republican congressional members, all with military backgrounds, in signing a letter urging Tim Walz to clarify what they describe as “egregious misrepresentations” of his 24-year service in the Army National Guard.
Keilar challenged Rep. Waltz, accusing him of attacking Governor Walz’s military record. However, Waltz pushed back, insisting that his focus was on truthfulness, not denigrating service members. “Well I want to be clear and correct your characterization, I am not attacking his service. I served in the National Guard for 22 out of my 27 years, and I know plenty of guardsman and reservists who served, maybe they went to combat, maybe they didn’t, they retired at a certain rank. Good on them, and I celebrate them. He said he’s proud of that service. If he’s so d*mn proud about it, why does he have to continue to embellish it and to lie about it, because the facts are clear,” Waltz stated.
Keilar quickly retorted, “It’s not stolen valor,” before citing the letter’s pointed language: “I just want to be clear, I’m reading this, Mike, and quote, ‘abandoning the men and women under your leadership just as they were getting ready to deploy is not honorable either.’ That is an attack on his service.”
The letter specifically accuses Tim Walz of falsely claiming to be a “Retired Command Sergeant Major” without meeting the requirements, and of exaggerating his combat experience by suggesting he carried weapons “in war” despite leaving his battalion prior to its deployment to Iraq in 2005.
Rep. Waltz argues that Governor Walz was aware of his unit’s impending deployment when he exited and that he should be held accountable for his decision. Keilar, however, noted that Walz had announced his congressional candidacy before receiving deployment orders. Waltz expressed frustration that instead of addressing these issues, Governor Walz has avoided scrutiny.
“Rather than defending these decisions, I wish you would interview him and ask him those questions or that he would at least sit down and answer for these inconsistencies,” Waltz said.
'Not Stolen Valor': CNN's Brianna Keilar, GOP Rep Exchange Blows Over Gov. Tim Walz's Military Service pic.twitter.com/stpBXDnkrn
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) August 21, 2024
“The other thing that we say in the letter is, repeatedly, he was described in front of him, introduced at events, described in articles as a combat veteran and he did nothing to correct it, and still today is doing nothing to correct it. So he clearly implied and allowed others to describe himself as a combat veteran and he clearly exaggerated his service, which he shouldn’t have done, for political gain. That is unacceptable to the veterans’ community.”
Keilar responded, “Yeah, look, he has some questions to answer for. I don’t know if it’s worth burning down 24 years of service.”
Footage from 2007 surfaced showing then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi praising Walz for his service “on the battlefield,” a statement Walz did not correct. CSPAN also identified him as an “Afghanistan War Veteran,” although he never served in that conflict.
Further criticism came from Republican vice-presidential candidate J.D. Vance, a Marine Corps veteran, who accused Walz of “stolen valor” for his claims. “I think it’s shameful to prepare your unit to go to Iraq, to make a promise that you’re gonna follow through and to drop out right before you actually have to go,” Vance said during an Aug. 7 press conference.
“I also think it’s dishonest, he said we shouldn’t allow weapons that I used in war to be on the streets. Well I wonder, Tim Walz, when were you ever in war? What was this weapon that you carried into war given that you abandoned your unit right before they went to Iraq and he has not spent a day in a combat zone. What bothers me about Tim Walz is the stolen valor garbage.”
In response to these criticisms, Walz defended his service at an event in Los Angeles on Aug. 13, stating that he remains “proud” of his time in the National Guard.
For many Americans, it’s frustrating that media outlets like CNN and MSNBC are keeping Tim Walz and the Harris campaign as a whole away from any criticism that could be lobbed their way for their dishonesty.
It is blatantly obvious and true that Tim Walz has been dishonest about his time in the U.S. military on more than a handful of occasions. Whether or not people agree with what Tim Walz did, his fellow brothers in his squad said that they felt abandoned when it was go-time to go to Iraq.
Stolen Valor Tim Walz abandoned his troops so he could run for political office. Don’t take my word for it. Listen to the men he served with. pic.twitter.com/XtN2NBCLAG
— JD Vance (@JDVance) August 21, 2024
Kamala Harris and Tim Walz have not been asked by any reporters about these inconsistencies and have not put out any statement thus far to address these dishonesties from Tim Walz.
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
