JD Vance: Tim Walz Lied About Military Career for ‘Political Gain’

Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) asserted on CNN’s “State of the Union” that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has lied about his military career for political advantage.

While acknowledging Walz’s service, Vance criticized his retirement decision and particularly his misrepresentation of his military record, stating that Walz falsely claimed to have carried a gun in war and allowed others to mischaracterize him as a war veteran.

CNN’s Dana Bash said, “Governor Walz served 24 years, he even stayed after he could have retired because of 9/11, more than the country asked of him, do you honor his service?”

Vance said, “Well of course, Dana, I honor his service and I’ve never criticized what Tim Walz did when he was in the military. I criticized his retirement decision and most importantly, Dana, I criticized his lying about his own record.”

He added, “This is a guy who was captured on video saying, I carried a gun in war. He never went to war. This is a guy who has been captured on video as other people say, he’s an Afghanistan veteran, he’s a veteran of a war, nodding along in agreement instead of saying ‘No, no, no, I did serve my country. I did it honorably, but I never went to a war zone.’”

Vance emphasized that he respects military service but finds it unacceptable for anyone to exaggerate their achievements for electoral benefit, labeling Walz’s behavior as scandalous.

“I’m not criticizing Tim Walz’s service. I’m criticizing the fact that he lied about his service for political gain. Dana, now I served in the United States Marine Corps, you know this. And look, there are a lot of things that I’m proud about. I’ve never lied about what I did or overstated it because it would be beneficial to me in an election. I think that’s what Tim Walz did. That’s what I was criticizing. Yes, I do think it’s scandalous behavior,” he said.