The Democratic party found itself in another controversy as its Vice Presidential candidate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, accepted praise from then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for service “on the battlefield” in 2007. This statement was made despite the fact that Walz never served in combat. A video clip, resurfaced by Free Beacon’s Chuck Ross on Friday, showed Pelosi saying, “We all appreciate his service … on the battlefield.” In response to Pelosi’s praises, Walz responded, “Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Walz has been in the eye of a storm lately for allegedly lying about his military rank and service. He has repeatedly claimed to be a “retired command sergeant major” as recently as 2018, but was actually a retired master sergeant, which is one rank lower than a command sergeant major. Moreover, he has stated that he carried weapons “in war,” when in reality he admitted that he never served in combat. Walz also claimed to be an Operation Enduring Freedom veteran, even though he never served in Afghanistan.
Walz’s credibility is further shaken by accusations from fellow veterans who knew him. They allege that he retired from the military to avoid a deployment to Iraq, although his supporters have disputed these allegations. Walz filed to run for Congress in February 2005 and acknowledged in March of the same year that he would likely be deployed to Iraq if called upon. However, he decided to retire in May 2005, relinquishing his rank as a sergeant major for retirement since at the time, he had not completed the training and requirements necessary to retire as one. Despite this, Walz has continued to claim on multiple occasions that he retired as a “command sergeant major.
The Harris-Walz campaign has not directly addressed these allegations and false claims. Instead, they have chosen to cast doubt on Marine veteran and Republican presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) for bringing up the allegations against Walz.