Military experts say Democrat vice-presidential candidate Gov. Tim Walz (MN) “misrepresented elements” and embellished his service, according to the New York Times.
The newspaper interviewed four experts on the military, who said while they would not use the term “stolen valor,” agreed that Walz was not entirely honest about his military career.
WATCH — NBC’s Mitchell: Vance Isn’t Attacking Walz’s Service, He’s Making Largely “Verified” Criticisms of Walz’s Claims About It:
Doug Sterner, a military historian who helped draft the Stolen Valor Act, acknowledged that Walz “had been inaccurate in describing his rank” as a “retired command sergeant major.”
Anthony Anderson, a retired Army sergeant who runs the website Guardian of Valor, told the Times there is reason to believe that “he is definitely embellishing his record to gain points with the voters.”
Kevin Knapp, a retired Special Forces major who operates Guardians of the Green Beret, a website that looks at claims about serving in the Special Forces, commented to the Times about Walz claiming to be a retired command sergeant major, “That was a choice, an intentional choice that was not a misspoken comment in the excitement of the moment.”
A retired Navy corpsman named Jeff who researches for the website Military Phonies and did not want to give his last name out of fear of retribution, said the retired command sergeant major references “especially stand out” because service members are “typically aware of the requirements to attain a rank.” He added that Walz chose not to complete his coursework to become a retired command sergeant major.
WATCH — U.S. Veteran: Tim Walz Should Drop Out of Presidential Race for Lying About His Rank:
The Times also noted that although Walz never served in Afghanistan, he did not correct others when they have referred to him an “Afghanistan veteran.” The paper reported that on a television program in 2016, the host characterized Walz as a veteran who had served in “Operation Enduring Freedom” in Afghanistan, and that Walz had nodded.
The Times report comes amidst attempts by Democrats to sweep Walz’s lies about his military service under the rug, and accuse Republicans of partisan attacks on his service.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), herself a retired National Guard reservist, falsely said on ABC News’ “This Week” that Walz was a retired command sergeant major and called Republicans “despicable” for questioning his lies.
“This man served 24 years in uniform. He was a — he’s a retired command sergeant major. I’m excited to have a retired command sergeant major in the vice president’s office, in the Situation Room, when we look at issues of conflicts around the world. It’s going to be great to have that experience,” she said.
The Times also reported on Tuesday that Walz falsely claimed his children were conceived by in vitro fertilization, when it was actually a different treatment called intrauterine insemination.
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