During an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash, Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) avoided answering several direct questions about alleged lies and false statements attributed to him throughout his political career. Bash provided Walz the opportunity to address the millions of Americans who may doubt his credibility, but he chose not to directly confront these concerns.
The interview began with Bash inquiring about a claim made by the Harris-Walz campaign that Governor Walz carried weapons in war, despite having never been deployed to a war zone. She asked if Walz agreed with the campaign’s statement that he misspoke. Instead of admitting to his error and moving past it, Walz recited nonsequiturs about his record and blamed poor grammar for his misstep. He then attempted to frame the issue as another routine political attack, falsely criticizing concerns with Walz’s lies about his record as an attack on his service itself.
Bash also pressed Walz on other issues where he has been credibly accused of lying, such as his claims that his wife became pregnant through in vitro fertilization (IVF) and his 2006 congressional campaign’s repeated false statements surrounding his 1995 arrest for drunken restless driving. In response to Bash’s question about what he would say to voters who are uncertain whether they can trust him, Walz mentioned that his former students and national guard colleagues vouch for him – despite numerous guardsmen publicly attacking Walz and his claims about his record.
Throughout the interview, Governor Tim Walz made several false statements and failed to address concerns over his credibility adequately. However, he did acknowledge that people are coming to get to know him, perhaps hinting at an opportunity for him to rebuild trust with the American public.