Vice President Harris’s campaign has pushed back on criticism of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s military background, saying the vice-presidential nominee “misspoke” in a video pushing for gun control when saying he used combat weapons during his time in the National Guard.
“Governor Walz would never insult or undermine any American’s service to this country — in fact, he thanks Senator Vance for putting his life on the line for our country,” a Harris-Walz campaign spokesperson said in a statement emailed to The Hill.
“It’s the American way,” the spokesperson continued. “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 [former President] Donald Trump and [Sen.] JD Vance [(R-Ohio)] who prioritize the gun lobby over our children.”
In the clip, Walz said, “We can make sure those weapons of war, that I carried in war, are only carried in war.”
The North Star State governor has faced a slew of attacks from the right about his military record. Vance, who served in the Marines, has called out Walz over his military record, accusing Harris’s running mate of “stolen valor,” noting that the Minnesota Democrat left service before a deployment to Iraq.
“I wonder, Tim Walz, when were you ever in war?” Vance, former President Trump’s running mate said during a campaign stop in Michigan. “He has not spent a day in a combat zone … I’d be ashamed if I was him and I lied about my military service like he did.”
Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who served under the Trump administration, also pressed Walz to clarify his military record — stopping short of levying his own attacks on the Minnesota governor.
“I think some of the attacks are without merit,” Esper, who served under the Trump administration, said Friday afternoon in an interview on CNN. “Some, I think, need clarified by Governor Walz. He should speak to it.”
“The fact that it’s been going on for a few days now in my view, means that he should just get out, speak to the issues,” he said, before the campaign issued its rebuttal.
Walz and Vance stand out as veterans on national tickets, the first since the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) ran for president in 2008 — though neither VP hopeful has served in a combat mission.
Walz has also had his defenders in the battle over his military record, including former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.).
“This is the insane thing. Every month thousands of people retire,” Kinzinger, an Air Force veteran, said in a post on X Wednesday. “The fact that Walz did 25 years, 5 OVER retirement eligibility, and 4 years after 9/11, is honorable.”
“Many people at 25 years today would get out even if there was a deployment possibility because they DID THEIR DUTY,” Kinzinger continued.
Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.), a Navy veteran, likened the attacks on Walz’s military record Thursday to the swift boat attacks against former Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) when he ran for president in 2004.
“It’s reminiscent of the Swift Boat bulls‑‑‑ that Sen. Kerry faced in his election. We’re seeing the same type of people trying to reignite this same kind of slanderous campaign against a man who served for 24 years in the National Guard,” she said.
Updated at 3:42 p.m. EST.