- “I’m not criticizing his time in the military. I’m criticizing the way he left.”
Gov. Tim Walz should not be allowed to serve as vice president because of mischaracterizations he made about his time in the military, Sen. JD Vance said during a campaign stop in Pennsylvania on Thursday.
The Republican vice presidential candidate went on to rebuke his Democratic counterpart, saying Walz is “insulting” the troops with his lies.
And he criticized Vice President Kamala Harris for trying to change the news cycle by “playing the victim” and accusing Republicans of attacking her running mate’s “honorable” time in the Army and National Guard.
“We’re not attacking his honorable service, we’re attacking the dishonesty of that dishonorable service,” Vance insisted at a campaign rally an hour from Pittsburgh. “That’s the height of dishonor, and Tim Walz should not be vice president of the United States because of it.”
Later Thursday, speaking to reporters aboard Trump Force Two, Vance doubled down, saying that talking about Walz’s service is “fair game” because he “embellished” the details over the course of 15 years.
Sen. JD Vance slammed Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s “lies” about his military service during a campaign event at VFW Post 92 in New Kensington, Pennsylvania, on Thursday.
“(Harris) singled this guy out, and presumably they’ve vetted him. And now when obvious lies and exaggerations come to light, they’re trying to hide behind and say, ‘No, no, you can’t criticize his service. ‘ Nobody’s criticizing his service,” Vance said.
“I’m not criticizing his time in the military,” he continued. “I’m criticizing the way he came out. I’m criticizing the fact that he lied and said he went to war when he didn’t. And I’m criticizing the fact that he embellished multiple parts of his record in multiple media interviews over a 15-year period.”
“I think it’s entirely fair because I think it reflects her integrity,” Vance said. “And more importantly, I think it reflects Kamala Harris’s judgment.”
After becoming a member of the local VFW Post 92 on Thursday morning, the Ohio senator energized a crowd made up mostly of veterans by criticizing Walz on the third anniversary of the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The Marine veteran also held a moment of silence for the 13 fallen service members at the beginning of his remarks.
Joined by four other politicians who are also war veterans, Vance further expressed disapproval of Walz and painted a picture of a better life for current and former troops under a Trump-Vance administration.
Vance and other Republicans are seizing on comments Walz made that appeared to embellish what he did during his time in the service, including the claim that he carried weapons of war “in war.”
The Harris-Walz campaign says its vice presidential candidate misspoke and criticizes Republicans for their attacks targeting her time in service.
“(Harris) selected this guy, and presumably they’ve vetted him. And now when obvious lies and embellishments come to light, they’re trying to hide behind and say, ‘No, no, you can’t criticize his service. ‘ Nobody is criticizing his service,” Vance told reporters aboard Trump Force Two on Thursday.
Vance shows off his new VFW Post 92 membership card at a rally in New Kensington, Pa., on Thursday, Aug. 15.
JD Vance and his wife Usha kiss before his remarks in Pennsylvania
“Let’s get the truth straight,” Vance said at his rally. “Tim Walz said he carried a gun in the war. He never went to war. Tim Walz said he didn’t know his unit was about to be deployed to Iraq, when even his own press release at the time said he knew exactly that. Tim Walz claimed to be a command sergeant major — he even had it printed on his challenge coins — and I knew he never reached that rank.”
“And now Kamala Harris, showing terrible judgment, has decided that her way out of this political mess is to claim that she and Tim Walz are the victims,” Vance lamented to jeers from the Pennsylvania crowd.
“I think the victims are the veterans whose service is being disparaged because the guy who wants to be their vice president lies instead of telling the truth. I think those are the real victims.”
