In a recent appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Vice Presidential nominee JD Vance criticized his opponent, Tim Walz, over the controversy surrounding Walz’s military service, who is Kamala Harris’ vice-presidential pick. In his conversation with host Dana Bash, Vance clarified that his issue was not with Walz’s service itself but with how he has allegedly misrepresented his military record for political purposes.
“I honor his service, and I never criticized what Tim Walz did while in the military,” Vance emphasized. “I criticized his decision to retire and, most importantly, his dishonesty about his own record.”
Vance accused Walz of falsely suggesting he had seen combat during his National Guard tenure.
“This is a guy on video saying ‘I carried a gun in war,’” Vance pointed out. “He never went to war. He’s been seen nodding in agreement when others label him as an ‘Afghanistan veteran’ or a ‘war veteran,’ rather than clarifying that he served honorably but never in a war zone.”
“I’m not criticizing Tim Walz’s service,” Vance reiterated. “I’m criticizing the fact that he misrepresented his service for political gain.”
The scrutiny over Walz’s military background has intensified since his selection as Harris’s running mate. Though Walz served in the National Guard, he was never deployed to a combat zone. In 2005, as his battalion was gearing up for deployment to Iraq, Walz resigned from the Guard to embark on a political career. This move has drawn allegations of him shirking his duties to avoid combat and accusations of “stolen valor.”