Kamala Harris finally broke her silence on allegations that her running mate Tim Walz embellished his military service to boost his military career. Harris faced the media for the first time since becoming the Democratic nominee on Thursday and confronted claims that Walz misrepresented his rank when he retired from the National Guard and also mistakenly claimed he ‘went to war.’
She responded: ‘Listen, I praise anyone who has presented themselves to serve our country. And I think that we all should.’ President Biden made a comment on Walz’s selection as Harris’ Vice-Presidential nominee, as he reportedly told his campaign staff: ‘When you get to know him, he’s the real deal,’ per CNN.
Walz served 24 years in the National Guard before he retired in 2005 ahead of his run for congress. However, while he served as a command sergeant major, he was reverted back to master sergeant due to leaving the military before he completed the coursework for the higher rank. This week, Harris’ campaign was forced to make an embarrassing edit to his biography as it removed the higher rank from his profile.
Walz also raised eyebrows during his introduction speech on Monday as he made a point about gun control legislation, arguing people should not have access to weapons that he ‘carried in war.’ He quickly faced allegations that he never actually saw combat, although he did train with heavy artillery and was deployed to Italy in 2003 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Walz previously faced scrutiny for his claims that he served overseas in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, with some feeling he implied that he served in Afghanistan.
The recent spotlight on Walz’s military record is not new for the Minnesota Governor, and in the past he has denied claims that he retired from the National Guard to avoid being deployed. During his first run for congress in 2005, Walz’s campaign insisted in March that he would stay in the race despite the possible mobilization of his unit.
Reports quickly resurfaced of anger among his former brothers in arms who accused Walz of ‘betraying’ his country just as they were preparing for deployment. Retired Command Sergeant Major Thomas Behrends of the Minnesota National Guard accused Walz of having ’embellished’ his record and of having abandoned his unit when he left the Guard to run for Congress.
‘In early 2005, a warning order was issued to the 1-125th Field Artillery Battalion, which included the position he was serving in, to prepare to be mobilized for active duty for a deployment to Iraq,’ he wrote on Facebook in 2018. ‘On May 16th, 2005, he quit, betraying his country, leaving the 1-125th Field Artillery Battalion and its Soldiers hanging; without its senior Non-Commissioned Officer, as the battalion prepared for war.’ After Harris faced a grilling from reporters for the first time in weeks on Thursday, conservatives criticized the level of the questions and felt she was handed some softballs.
Amid a back-and-forth from hers and Trump’s campaign over potential debates, Harris was asked for her reaction to news that Trump agreed to one in early September. ‘Well, I’m glad that he’s finally agreed to a debate on September 10,’ she said. ‘I am happy to have that conversation about an additional debate, or after September 10, for sure.’
Harris added she is working with her team to finally sit down for a prime-time interview, saying she wants to get one scheduled ‘before the end of the month.’ Bloomberg journalist Matthew Yglesias led the criticisms of the softball questions, saying on X: ‘Peak journalism is that when you finally get a chance to ask the candidate a question you ask about when they will take more questions.’ Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro added: ‘No, this doesn’t count as her answering serious or tough questions. This is a gentle hot stone massage.’
