In a recent interview with CNN’s Dana Bash, Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) called out Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) for allegedly lying about his military service. Vance claimed that Walz knew his unit would be deployed to Iraq, despite Walz’s claims to the contrary.
Bash pointed out that Walz had filed his election paperwork in February 2005, a month before the National Guard announced a possible deployment to Iraq. However, Vance countered that a senior military officer had revealed that Walz’s unit had been aware of the potential deployment as early as fall 2004.
“So, he knew he was going to Iraq, he decided to quit, to retire, whatever word you want to use,” Vance said. “He lied about that. He said that when he decided to retire, he did not know he was going to Iraq. That is another untruth, as even his senior military officer said.”
Walz has faced scrutiny over his decision to retire from the military before his unit was deployed to Iraq. An archived press release from 2005 shows that the National Guard Public Affairs Office had announced a possible partial mobilization of roughly 2,000 troops from the Minnesota National Guard. Despite this, Walz chose to retire, while his unit ultimately deployed to Iraq.
Vance emphasized that he was not criticizing Walz’s military service, but rather his alleged dishonesty about the circumstances surrounding his retirement. “I’m criticizing the dishonesty,” Vance said.
