Army War College revokes Walsh’s degree after plagiarism probe

The Army War College is revoking Sen. John Walsh’s (D-Mont.) degree following a plagiarism investigation.

In a statement Friday, the college said that its Academic Review Board “found that then Colonel John Walsh did commit the offense of plagiarism and thus his Master’s Degree and status as graduate of the U.S. Army War College should be revoked.”

{mosads}The college defended its decision, saying that Walsh was “afforded opportunities to submit comment and/or materials during the process” and that “reviews of legal sufficiency were completed.” 

“The Army War College commandant notified Mr. Walsh on October 10 of the final decision to revoke his status as a graduate of the Army War College,” the statement added. 

The New York Times alleged in July that Walsh had plagiarized large parts of a research paper for the college, where he received a master’s degree in strategic studies in 2007. The controversy led Walsh to drop his bid to return to the Senate in August.

“Though I disagree with the findings made by the War College, I accept its decision with great humility and respect for the U.S. Military,” Walsh said in a statement Friday.

“I apologize to all Montanans for the plagiarism in my 2007 paper, and I am prepared to live with its consequences,” he added. “I may not be a scholar but I am proud to have been a soldier who has served Montana and this great nation for 33 years in uniform.”

Walsh was appointed as senator in February to fill the seat left by Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), who left to be ambassador to China. He is still expected to serve through the end of the year. 

Walsh was facing an uphill race against Rep. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) for the Senate seat before dropping his bid. Democrats were forced to find a new candidate, tapping Amanda Curtis, a 34-year-old state lawmaker and teacher.

The senator, who served in Iraq, initially blamed the plagiarism incident on post-traumatic stress disorder, but backed away from that claim. 

Walsh served as an Army National Guard colonel, and adjutant general of the Montana National Guard. 

—This story was updated at 3:36 p.m.