Former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper has called on Democratic vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.) to disclose his military history amid Republican allegations that Walz lied about details of his military service.
“I think some of the attacks are unfounded,” Esper, who served under Trump, told CNN on Friday night. “I think some of them need to be clarified by Governor Walz. The governor should speak about it. The fact that it’s been going on for several days means that in my view, the governor should go out and speak about the issues.”
“I hope he will clarify things and clarify where he thinks he has perhaps made statements that were incorrect or where people say they were misleading,” he added in the interview. Mediaite highlights“But we need to put this issue aside and refocus on the bigger issues out there.”
Walz served in the Minnesota National Guard for 24 years, retiring a few months before his unit was deployed to Iraq in 2006. At the time, he was running for Congress.
Members of his unit said he was discharged before he was deployed, but others knew he was going to be deployed. He “abandoned” them.
“Tim Waltz abandoned his fellow soldiers shortly after deploying to Iraq.” said “He chose Congress over combat. He has no right to be anywhere near the commander in chief,” said Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.), an Afghanistan veteran.
Walz has also faced criticism for speaking about his experience with “weapons of war” in combat while advocating for gun control in the US – although he was named Vice President Harris’ running mate earlier this week – and has never served in a combat zone.
“Weapons of war that are brought to war can only be brought to war,” Waltz said. said Video released by the Harris campaign.
Republicans, led by Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), former President Trump’s vice presidential nominee, accused the Minnesota Democrat of “defamation.”
“Tim Walz, when did you go to war?” Vance, a former military member, said while campaigning in Michigan. “He’s never spent a day in a combat zone. I would be embarrassed if I were him and I lied about serving in the military like he did.”
After Esper made his remarks on CNN, a spokesperson for the Harris-Waltz campaign released a statement saying the governor “made a slip of the tongue.”
“The Governor has misled people when it comes to making the case for why weapons of war should not be on our streets or in our classrooms,” a spokesperson said in a statement to The Hill. “The Governor has handled weapons of war and, unlike Donald Trump and J.D. Vance, who put the gun lobby above children, he firmly believes that only military personnel trained to carry these lethal weapons should have access to them.”
Republicans have also attacked Walz for claiming to hold higher ranks in the National Guard than he actually does. In Congress, Walz claimed he was the highest-ranking enlisted man in the nation’s history.
“I proudly served in the U.S. Navy for 20 years, deployed multiple times to Afghanistan and Iraq, and retired as a Master Chief,” said Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), a Navy veteran. X said in his post. “Yes, I am the highest ranking military officer to have served in Congress, a claim that Governor Walz has falsely asserted. It is important to call out the dishonesty. Tim Walz should immediately withdraw from the running for vice president.”
Waltz said he was promoted to interim master sergeant, but was discharged as a master sergeant after failing to complete the relevant evaluation.
The Minnesota National Guard said it is accurate to say Waltz served as a staff sergeant major but is incorrect to say he retired as a staff sergeant major. From CBS.
According to Politico, the Harris campaign It has since been updated To reflect that difference, we have posted Waltz’s biography on our website.
