Democratic vice presidential candidate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, whose military service has come under heavy scrutiny, “misspoke” in a 2018 video where he is heard talking about his handling of weapons “in war,” a Harris campaign spokesperson said Friday.
“Governor Walz would never insult or undermine any American’s service to this country — in fact, he thanks Senator Vance for putting his life on the line for our country. It’s the American way,” the Harris campaign spokesperson said in a statement to NBC News.
“In making the case for why weapons of war should never be on our streets or in our classrooms, the Governor misspoke. He did handle weapons of war and believes strongly that only military members trained to carry those deadly weapons should have access to them, unlike Donald Trump and JD Vance who prioritize the gun lobby over our children,” the spokesperson added.
I SERVED WITH TIM WALZ AS A REPUBLICAN IN THE HOUSE. HE’LL BE A GOOD VICE PRESIDENT
Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks during a campaign event on Aug. 7. (Andrew Harnik)
The 2018 video clip shows Walz discussing gun control and referring to his own military background.
“We can make sure that those weapons of war, that I carried in war, is the only place where those weapons are at,” Walz said in the clip, which was posted by Harris’ campaign on Tuesday.
Republicans, led by vice presidential candidate JD Vance, have criticized Walz’s military service. Walz served 24 years in the National Guard but never deployed to a war zone. In 2003, he deployed with his unit to Vicenza, Italy in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, the name for the war in Afghanistan.
Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung said that Walz’ campaign is scrambling to “clean up his own mess.”
“Why won’t Tim Walz address his lies himself? Why does he need to send out lowly spokespeople to clean up his own mess? Walz is a liar and fraud, and Kamala picked a running mate that shares her own vile values,” Cheung said.
Walz retired from the military in 2005, several months before the unit deployed to Iraq.
Vance, a Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq, has accused Walz of “stolen valor.”
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“I wonder Tim Walz, when were you ever in war?” Vance said at an event in Michigan. “What was this weapon you carried into war? What bothers me about Tim Walz is this stolen valor garbage. Do not pretend to be something that you’re not.”
“I’d be ashamed if I was him and I lied about my military service like he did,” he added.