Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), who is facing defamation charges, allegedly falsely claimed in a previous press release that he was an Afghanistan veteran.
In a 2006 press release: issued On the campaign trail, Walz was described as a “veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom.”
The Afghanistan War began on October 7, 2001. It is called The mission, called Operation Enduring Freedom, was launched after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to the Naval History and Heritage Command website.
“Democrat Tim Walz will tour Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District on Sunday, February 19 and Monday, February 20 to formally announce his candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives,” the press release states. “A veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom and a longtime Mankato educator, Walz is unbeatable among the Democratic base and will be challenging Rep. Gil Gutknecht in November 2006.”
In photos Posts At X, Waltz can be seen holding a sign that reads “Enduring Freedom Veterans Supporting Kerry” in protest of former President George W. Bush’s 2004 visit to Minnesota.
of Washington Free Beacon Iraq War veteran David Toole reported that he had discussed with aides in 2009 the issue of Waltz claiming to be a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom.
One staffer claimed he “didn’t know” that Walz had served in Afghanistan, while another “acknowledged that voters might be misled,” the outlet reported.
On Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris announced that she would choose Waltz as her running mate in the 2024 presidential election. Since then, Waltz has faced accusations of defamation and criticism from military veterans.
In the video that has gone viral, Waltz claims to have served in the war despite never seeing combat during his time in the U.S. military.
I was in the Army for 25 years, I hunt, and I’ve voted for common sense legislation that protects the Second Amendment, but we can do background checks, we can do CDC checks, we can make sure that weapons of war that you take with you to war are the only place they’re kept.
Governor Tim WaltzI was in the Army for 25 years and I hunt. I’ve voted for common sense legislation that protects the Second Amendment, but we can do background checks. We can study the impact of gun violence. We can do war weapons. pic.twitter.com/3IVaXi2RP2
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) August 6, 2024
Waltz Hospitalized In a 2018 interview with MPR News, he said he didn’t serve in combat, adding that “I got a lot more out of the military” than “the military got from him.”
“I’m sure there are people out there who have accomplished much more than I have,” Walz said. “I know that, and I’m happy to say they got much more out of the military than they got from me, from the GI Bill to leadership opportunities and everything else.”
A biography on Waltz’s website states he retired from the U.S. military with a higher rank than the one he held.
Breitbart News reported:
Waltz served in the Minnesota Army National Guard and retired at the rank of Sergeant (E-8). However, his biography on his official website lists a higher rank in which he served briefly, but which was ultimately revoked because he did not meet all of the requirements for that rank. However, his biography suggests he retired at the rank of Command Sergeant (E-9).
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Wednesday avoided questions about Waltz’s defamation allegations.
