White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre sidestepped a question about the controversy surrounding Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s military record during a press briefing on Wednesday. When asked about the allegations of stolen valor against Walz, Jean-Pierre deflected, saying she would have to refer the question to the campaign.
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The controversy centers around Walz’s claims of carrying “weapons of war” in combat, despite never having been deployed to a combat zone during his 24 years in the Army National Guard. A video clip posted by the Harris campaign features Walz making the claim, which has been widely disputed by veterans who served with him.
Additionally, Walz has been accused of misrepresenting his military rank. He has claimed to be a retired command sergeant major, but his actual rank was reduced to master sergeant due to his failure to complete the necessary requirements to retire at the higher rank. Despite this, Walz has repeatedly boasted about his supposed command sergeant major status.
Walz is also facing allegations that he abandoned his unit before it was deployed to Iraq. Veterans who served with him claim that he abruptly retired from the military before serving out his contract, leaving his unit to deploy without him. The accusations have raised questions about Walz’s character and integrity, and have sparked a heated debate about his fitness for office.
