Maryland Democratic Gov. Wes Moore on Thursday maintained that it was an “honest mistake” to falsely state on his 2006 White House Fellowship application that he was a recipient of the prestigious Bronze Star Award.
Moore, who was 27 when he applied for the White House job, blamed his Army superiors for making false statements on his application and said in a statement after applying for the White House job that he didn't correct the mistakes because he wanted to begin the “next phase” of his life. The New York Times Reported on the decoration.
“These are the facts,” said Maryland's governor. Long statement“While I was serving overseas in the Army, my brigade vice commander encouraged me to write a White House Fellowship application. In fact, he helped me edit it before I submitted it. At the time, he had recommended me for a Bronze Star. He instructed me to include the Bronze Star award in my application, after making sure that two other senior officers also received the award.”
Moore said the deputy brigade commander was under the impression that medals for heroic or meritorious service had already been “approved by senior leadership” and therefore “had no qualms about instructing me to attach the awards” to the application.
“In the military, there is an understanding that if a senior officer says an action has been approved, you can rely on that as a fact. That's why it was part of the application, plain and simple,” the governor explained.
“Towards the end of my deployment, I was disappointed to find out I did not receive a Bronze Star, but I was ready to begin the next phase of my life,” Moore continued.
During his 2022 gubernatorial run, Moore allegedly accepted his Bronze Star award in media interviews and never said he didn't receive it. According to the Associated Press.
In his statement, Moore did not explain why he did not correct the record during his interview, saying only that he regretted not correcting his application.
“I truly wish I had gone back to correct my notes on my application,” he wrote. “It was an honest mistake and I regret not correcting it.”
Moore deployed to Afghanistan in 2005 as a lieutenant with the 82nd Airborne Division. Governor's official biography.
The biography notes that Moore was indeed selected as a White House Fellow, and in that role advised on “issues of national security and international relations.”
Moore's exaggeration came to light as Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, is facing intense scrutiny over his own military service.
Governor Walz has been accused of “defamation” by Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance for claiming that he carried a weapon “in war” when he never saw combat during his 24 years in the National Guard.
Waltz, 60, has also come under fire for lying about his rank in the National Guard and for retiring from the service in 2005 as his battalion was preparing to deploy to Iraq.
“In recent weeks, our country has become accustomed to seeing the integrity of our veterans attacked for political gain,” Moore wrote, in an apparent reference to Walz.
“But those who try to question our record misunderstand something fundamental about true patriots who have given everything to carry our flag and to be called Americans. We will not waver. We will keep our heads down and do our jobs, and I intend to continue to do so,” his statement concluded.
