The Harris campaign has changed Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s biography on his campaign website to change a statement about his military service amid ongoing investigation into the 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee’s military history.
Waltz’s biography initially listed him as a “retired master sergeant.”
since then Updated “I served as a senior sergeant,” he said.
Vice President Kamala Harris named Walz as her running mate on Tuesday, setting off a flurry of attacks on him over his record as Minnesota governor, a member of Congress and a member of the National Guard for nearly 25 years.
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Minnesota Governor Tim Walz dons a National Guard uniform as he faces intense scrutiny over his service in the state. (Fox News)
Waltz achieved the rank of master sergeant when he retired from the National Guard, but was demoted several months after his retirement, remaining at the rank of sergeant major. National Guard officials said Waltz retired before completing the requirements for the position, which included attending the U.S. Army Sergeant Major Academy. Subsequent reductions in rank were due to benefits requirements and technical issues.
But Republicans have accused Walz of engaging in “a sleazy campaign to exploit stolen fame.”
“You don’t pretend to be something you’re not,” Sen. J.D. Vance, former President Trump’s running mate and a Marine Corps veteran, said this week.
“I would be embarrassed to say, like you, that I lied about my military service,” he said.
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Governor Tim Walz appeared onstage together during a campaign event at Girard College in Philadelphia, August 6, 2024. (Andrew Harnick/Getty Images)
Vance accused Walz of resigning from the National Guard to avoid serving in the Iraq War.
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“As a Marine who served my country in uniform during my time in the United States Marine Corps, when the United States of America asked me to go to Iraq to serve my country, I did so. I followed their call and acted honorably,” he said. “Do you know what Tim Walz did when he was asked by his country to go to Iraq? He quit the Army and let his unit go without him. This has been roundly condemned by many who served with him.”
However, the Minnesota National Guard told Fox News that Waltz’s unit wasn’t ordered to deploy to Iraq until July, and that Waltz submitted his retirement papers five to seven months before his scheduled discharge in May 2005.
Minnesota National Guard Chief of Operations Lt. Col. Ryan Rothman also explained Waltz’s retirement rank in a statement to Fox News.
“He was technically a command sergeant when he deployed to Europe with his battalion, but to retire as a CSM he had to complete a terminal course, which he did not complete. So, from a benefits standpoint, the Army retired him as a master sergeant. But according to National Guard records, he was technically a command sergeant when he deployed. The rank reduction was due to benefits requirements and technical reasons.”
Vance pointed out. Comment from Waltz On gun control, the governor said he plans to use his military background to push for gun control.
“He said, ‘The weapons I used in the war should not be left on the streets of America,'” Vance said. “Tim Waltz, when did you serve in the war, when was this, you abandoned your unit right before going to Iraq, what weapons did you bring to the war, he never spent a day in a combat zone, what bothers me about Tim Waltz is this bullshit story of stolen heroism.”
Harris’ campaign has defended Waltz’s record.
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“Governor Walz retired in 2005 after 24 years of military service and ran for Congress, where he served as Secretary of Veterans Affairs and worked tirelessly on behalf of our military members. And as Vice President of the United States, he will continue to work tirelessly on behalf of veterans and military families,” his campaign said this week.
Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin, Jeffrey Clark and Anders Hagstrom and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
