Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat who emerged on Tuesday as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, is likely to face new scrutiny after court records emerged suggesting he misled the public about his 1995 drunk-driving arrest.
Waltz, who was living in Nebraska at the time, was charged with drunk driving and eventually took a plea deal in which he admitted to reckless driving, an issue that came up later in his campaign, but Waltz maintained he was not intoxicated.
When the issue came up during Walz’s 2006 House race, his campaign claimed the arrest was the result of a misunderstanding. Post bulletin board Rochester, Minnesota report:
Walz’s campaign claims the arrest by state troopers was the result of a misunderstanding due to Walz’s hearing loss, which has since been surgically corrected.
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According to court documents, Waltz pleaded not guilty to the charges and tried to suppress a blood alcohol content test in court, but later pleaded guilty to reckless driving. He paid a $200 fine.
Walz’s campaign manager, Kelly Greeley, did not dispute that Walz was speeding when he was stopped that night but said he was not intoxicated. She argued the misunderstanding was due to hearing loss resulting from his years of service as an artilleryman in the Army National Guard.
However, according to Alpha News report 2022:
Gov. Tim Walz has said in past campaign stints that he was not actually intoxicated when he was arrested for drunk driving in 1995, but court records from the case tell a different story.
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“Mr. Waltz was driving southbound on Route 385 in Dawes County at a high rate of speed. He was actually attempting to flee from police officers. As I recall, he ended up exceeding 80 miles per hour. When he was pulled over, he took a blood test which showed a blood alcohol content of 0.128.” [former Dawes County Attorney Rex] Nolan said: Court Records.
Waltz’s attorney, Russell Harford, later acknowledged that Waltz had been drinking but said he tried to run from the state troopers because he “thought someone was chasing him.”
The transcript is here.
Joel B. Pollack is executive editor of Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday The show airs Sunday nights from 7 to 10 p.m. (4 to 7 p.m. ET) on SiriusXM Patriot. He is the author of “Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days,” which is available for preorder on Amazon. He also wrote,Trumpian virtue: The lessons and legacy of Donald Trump’s presidency” is available on Audible. He is the 2018 recipient of the Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter. Joel Pollack.
