In a recent political skirmish, Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz has been accused of misrepresenting his military record.
However, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has come to his defense, arguing that Walz only made a single error in his recounting.
According to Fox News, the controversy was brought to light during a CNN's "State of the Union" segment, where co-host Dana Bash asked Buttigieg to respond to Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance's allegations. Vance has been persistently asserting that Walz fabricated details of his military service for political advantage. Buttigieg, however, dismissed these claims, suggesting that they only serve to underscore Walz's otherwise impeccable record.
"The fact that they have to go back to find a clip from 2018 to find the one time that he slipped up when he talks about the weapons of war that he carried and said something instead about carrying weapons in war. Its kind of an exception that proves the rule in terms of how hard you have to look to find him all saying anything that isnt precise and accurate," Buttigieg defended.
The contentious clip, shared by Kamala Harris' campaign, features Walz discussing gun control in the context of his military experience. "We can make sure that those weapons of war, that I carried in war, is the only place where those weapons are at," Walz stated. A subsequent statement from a Harris campaign spokesperson acknowledged that Walz "misspoke" since he was never deployed in a combat zone.
"In making the case for why weapons of war should never be on our streets or in our classrooms, the Governor misspoke. He did handle weapons of war and believes strongly that only military members trained to carry those deadly weapons should have access to them, unlike Donald Trump and JD Vance who prioritize the gun lobby over our children," the spokesperson clarified.
The Washington Post fact-checker labeled Walz's claim as "sloppy and false." However, the segment did not address other allegations against Walz, such as his campaign website biography's assertion that he was a "retired Command Sergeant Major." National Guard officials have clarified that Walz retired before meeting the requirements for the position, including coursework at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy. Despite achieving the rank of command sergeant major, he was later demoted to master sergeant. Walzs biography has since been revised to state he "served as a command sergeant major."
This incident underscores the importance of accuracy in public discourse, particularly when it comes to matters as significant as military service. It also highlights the contentious nature of political campaigns, where every word can become a weapon.
Login