Gov. Tim Walz’s pattern of misrepresenting his record continues to come under scrutiny as he steps onto the national stage as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate.
In early 2006, when Walz ran for the U.S. House of Representatives, his campaign website stated that he had received an award from the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce for his contributions to the business community. This claim was refuted by Barry L. Kennedy, then-president of the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce, who confirmed in a letter that Walz had never been the recipient of any such award.
“We researched this matter and can confirm that you have not been the recipient of any award from the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce,” Kennedy wrote in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by Alpha News.
Kennedy then requested that Walz remove the inaccurate claim.
“I am not going to draw a conclusion about your intentions by including this line in your biography. However, we respectfully request that you remove any reference to our organization as it could be considered an endorsement of your candidacy. It should be pointed out, however, that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has endorsed your opponent, Congressman Gil Gutknecht, for his support of small business issues,” Kennedy wrote in a letter dated Nov. 1, 2006.
Walz’s website was later updated, replacing “Nebraska Chamber of Commerce” with the “Nebraska Junior Chamber of Commerce.” His campaign manager at the time called the flub a “typographical error,” according to a 2006 Rochester Post Bulletin report.
Military service claims
In 2016, during his fifth term as a U.S. Representative, Walz participated in a C-SPAN discussion where he allowed another inaccuracy to go uncorrected. During the introduction, the host incorrectly stated that Walz had served in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
“Enlisted in the Army National Guard at 17 and retired 24 years later as Command Sergeant Major,” the host said, “and served with his battalion in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.”
Walz nodded in agreement with this introduction, despite the fact that he never served in Afghanistan.
The ‘misspeak’ on weapons in war
A recently resurfaced video shows Walz stating that he handled assault weapons “in war.” The video, circulated by the Harris campaign, features Walz advocating for an assault weapons ban and stating:
““We can make sure those weapons of war, that I carried in war, is [sic] the only place that those weapons are at.”
This statement has led to accusations of “stolen valor” from GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance, who argued that Walz has been dishonest about his military service.
A spokesperson for the Harris campaign later clarified that Walz “misspoke” in the video.
The rank controversy
Walz’s military record came under scrutiny again, with questions arising about his rank at retirement. While Walz served as a command sergeant major, his retirement papers indicate he left the service as a master sergeant, one rank lower.
According to the Minnesota National Guard, Walz did not complete the coursework required at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy to retain the rank of command sergeant major.
On its website, the Harris campaign axed a reference to Walz as a “retired command sergeant major” and now says that he rose to the rank of command sergeant major. Additionally, multiple retired members of the National Guard have said that Walz dodged a deployment to Iraq.
DUI arrest and IVF
CNN recently acknowledged that Walz’s 2006 congressional campaign “falsely described” important details regarding his September 1995 drunk driving arrest in Nebraska.
CNN reported that the 2006 Walz campaign “repeatedly told the press that [Walz] had not been drinking that night, claiming that his failed field sobriety test was due to a misunderstanding related to hearing loss from his time in the National Guard. The campaign also claimed that Walz was allowed to drive himself to jail that night.”
“None of that was true,” said CNN, which based its reporting in part on a court transcript obtained by Alpha News related to Walz’s Sept. 23, 1995 arrest.
Additionally, Walz has repeatedly implied he and his wife used IVF procedures in order to conceive their children. However, the Harris-Walz campaign said in a statement this week that the couple used a different fertility treatment, not IVF.
Jenna Gloeb
Jenna Gloeb is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist, media producer, public speaker, and screenwriter. Most recently, she worked as a reporter and on-air host for CCX Media. Jenna is a Minnesota native and resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.
