Dozens of Republican veterans on Wednesday accused Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz of not being trustworthy to serve as vice president because of “egregious misrepresentations” of his Army National Guard record.
Fifty congressional Republican veterans from across the GOP’s political spectrum signed onto a letter, which is being pushed by the Trump-Vance campaign, decrying Mr. Walz for inconsistencies throughout his political career when addressing his military service.
“As veterans who have served our nation, we feel compelled to address your egregious misrepresentations and urge you to come clean to the American people,” the lawmakers wrote.
“You have stated that you are ‘damn proud’ of your service, and like any American veteran, you should be,” they continued. “But there is no honor in lying about the nature of your service.”
The letter came from a wide range of the GOP, including hardline conservatives and moderates, and follows letters signed by over 1,000 veterans backing Mr. Walz and over a dozen congressional Democratic veterans supporting him.
Mr. Walz’s representation of his 24-year career in the Army National Guard has become a flashpoint for Republicans to go after the Democratic vice presidential nominee.
The Republican vice presidential nominee, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, accused Mr. Walz of abandoning his National Guard unit in 2005 to run for office when rumors swirled that it would be sent to Iraq.
Mr. Walz was also accused of stealing valor from men with whom he served since the governor had referred to himself as a retired command sergeant major, which evidently wasn’t true.
The campaign has since removed the reference to Mr. Walz as a “retired command sergeant major” on its website, instead denoting that he once served at the command sergeant major rank.
Mr. Walz was also scrutinized for a widely circulated 2018 ad in which he referred to “weapons of war that I carried in war” while having never served in a combat zone. The Harris-Walz campaign argued that he “misspoke” during the ad.
“You have violated the trust of our brothers and sisters in arms,” the GOP lawmakers wrote. “Their blood, sweat and sacrifice are the only reason our nation is able to exist. Until you admit you lied to them, there is no way you can be trusted to serve as vice president.”
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.