A former Minnesota legislator published a new book detailing why he believes Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz should not be elected the nation’s next vice president.
Former Republican Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, who served in the Minnesota Senate for 12 years, joined Liz Collin Reports to talk about his new book titled, “Behind the Veil: A Stand Against Governor Tim Walz.”
Gazelka told Collin he was unsure if he wanted to publish the book, until the news broke that Walz was selected as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate.
“Suddenly, Tim Walz rises all the way up and becomes the VP candidate. And I said, look, I got to put this out. I feel like he is applying for the second most highest position in the country,” Gazelka said. “And I’m the reference that says don’t hire them. And so, I was pretty direct. I’m always respectful. I think everybody around the Capitol knows I’m civil, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t say the truth when I see it.”
Gazelka shared what he believes are Walz’s failures of leadership, which he thinks voters need to hear about before the upcoming presidential election.
He talked about Walz’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, when Walz closed down businesses and churches for months, emphasizing the inconsistency of some of the mandates. “One classic example was, okay, bars, you get 50 people now. They were closed, but now you get 50, but churches, you get 10 and whatever you do, don’t sing, you know,” Gazelka said. “Who gives you the right to do that?”
Gazelka said the 2020 riots are another example of Walz’s bad leadership. “That was the most frustrating time with me and Gov. Walz because it was like, literally he was frozen. I’m pretty sure I was the first one to say he’s frozen because he just wouldn’t act,” he said.
The governor “did nothing” and “sat on his hands” while the city of Minneapolis burned, Gazelka said. “I ended up calling the White House and asked, can you guys help? Because he is frozen,” Gazelka said.
Former Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka recalls the 2020 riots pic.twitter.com/thIOr0bjJf
— Alpha News (@AlphaNewsMN) September 20, 2024
He criticized the governor for not taking action days earlier, when the riots first started, saying that police and military officials believed they could have ended it a lot sooner had they been given authorization. “And if Walz had had a better relationship with the police, we could have stopped this,” he said.
Hayley Feland
Hayley Feland previously worked as a journalist with The Minnesota Sun, The Wisconsin Daily Star, and The College Fix. She is a Minnesota native with a passion for politics and journalism.
