Minnesota’s Democratic governor, Tim Walz, did not correct then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi when she praised the governor’s “battlefield” service in a resurfaced video from 2007.
Claims about Waltz’s military service and when he retired from the Minnesota National Guard in 2005 have come under scrutiny since Vice President Kamala Harris named Waltz as her running mate on Tuesday. The video shows Pelosi introducing Waltz and mentioning his military service as she and other House Democrats debate a congressional resolution on the Iraq War. (RELATED: Top Senate Democrat says Walz retired ‘long before’ troops deployed to Iraq)
“We’re going to hear from House Sergeant Major Tim Walz,” Pelosi said in a CSPAN video, introducing Walz, then a first-term Minnesota congressman. “I was so moved by Tim’s story. He talked about teaching young people in high school and then having to lead them in the military. So he knows the potential of young people and he knows the dangers they face when you send them into dangerous places without the equipment they need. He’ll voice his opinions, but I want him to know how grateful we all are for all he’s served our country, whether it was in the classroom or on the battlefield.”
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Flashback: Tim Walz thanked Nancy Pelosi during a press conference in 2007. “I want to thank him for his service on the battlefield,” Pelosi said while introducing Walz.
CSPAN later introduced Waltz as an “Afghanistan veteran.” pic.twitter.com/6HaKNyfKsf
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) August 9, 2024
Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, at a campaign event in Wisconsin on Wednesday, accused Walz of “disloyalty,” citing comments Walz made in a video. Posts The Harris campaign urged Mr. X to ban so-called “assault weapons,” calling them “weapons of war that I carried in war.”
Waltz served as a staff sergeant but was discharged as a first sergeant after failing to complete the coursework necessary for promotion. According to Harris’ campaign removed the statement “retired Army sergeant major” from Walz’s website biography after he was criticized for his title, the Washington Free Beacon reported.
Retired Army command sergeants Thomas Berens and Paul Hare accused Waltz of retiring to avoid deploying to Iraq in 2018. letter The West Central Tribune article resurfaced after Walz was selected as Harris’ running mate.
“The conclusion of all this is painful and sad to explain. In response to the call of his people, he resigned. He failed to complete the United States Army Sergeant Major Academy; he failed to serve two years after completing the Academy and then dropped out of the Academy. He failed to serve two years after his conditional promotion to master sergeant,” Berens and Herr wrote. “He failed to complete the six-year enlistment period he signed on September 18, 2001. He betrayed his country. He betrayed his state. He betrayed the Minnesota Army National Guard, the 1-125th Field Artillery Battalion, and his fellow Soldiers. And he failed to lead by example. It is disgraceful.” (RELATED: ‘Morning Joe’ host claims Republicans are trying to ‘Swiftvote’ Tim Walz)
Retired Army Command Sergeant Major Doug Julin, who was the command sergeant major for the National Guard brigade to which Walz was assigned, criticized the Minnesota governor in a Sept. 26, 2022, speech. Interview According to the Alpha News report, Waltz assured Julin of his intention to deploy to Iraq during a meeting in early 2005, after which he secured his retirement in a “backroom deal.”
“Then suddenly in June 2005, Tom Berens came along and said, [command sergeant major]” Jurin told AlphaNews.
Pelosi and Walz’s offices did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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