Backlash Against Tim Walz for Mischaracterizing ‘Stolen Valor’ Claims

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the current VP pick for Kamala Harris, has been facing backlash on social media for characterizing himself as a victim amid accusations of “stolen valor.”

In a speech delivered at the AFSCME Convention this week, Walz attacked many of the claims made against him without specifically addressing the allegations. He instead talked about his 24 years of service in the National Guard (which nobody has disputed) and his work to help veterans in Congress. Without mentioning Trump VP pick JD Vance by name, Walz then said, “I am damn proud of my service to this country. And I firmly believe you should never denigrate another person’s service record. Anyone brave enough to put on that uniform for our great country, I just have few simple words: thank you for your service and sacrifice.”

The speech prompted significant backlash on social media, especially from U.S. service members, because it obfuscated the claims that have been made against Walz. Retired Col. Rob Maness wrote on X: “Let me say this one more time. No one is denigrating his actual service record, they’re denigrating the lies he tells about his service record. Walz is dishonoring himself by embellishing his military service record for political gain.”

“It’s not ‘degrading someone’s service record’ to point out that they lied about serving in combat repeatedly,” said retired USAF pilot Dale Stark.

Others came to Walz’s defense with the belief that his response addressed the issue.

Since Kamala Harris announced Walz as her running mate, the Democrat from Minnesota has increasingly been scrutinized for claims of “stolen valor.” As Breitbart News reported, Walz “listed on his official biography a higher military rank than the one he ultimately retired with, drawing criticism from some veterans”:

After reports surfaced questioning his use of rank, the Kamala Harris campaign altered its official website’s biography of Walz by removing its reference to him as a “retired command sergeant major” and only noting that he once served at the command sergeant major rank.

According to CNN, Walz encountered criticism of his service characterizations going all the way back to 2006 during his run for U.S. Congress, which he denied at the time.

A viral video, which the Kamala HQ account on X originally shared on Wednesday, featured Walz touting gun control before saying he carried a weapon in war:

I spent 25 years in the Army, and I hunt … I’ve been voting for common-sense legislation that protects the Second Amendment, but we can do background checks. We can do CDC research … We can make sure that those weapons of war that I carried in war is the only place where those weapons are at. [Emphasis added]

The Harris-Walz campaign later said he misspoke when he made that statement, even though Walz himself reposted the video just days prior to him being tapped as Kamala Harris’s VP pick.

A subsequent report from the Washington Free Beacon also claimed that Walz had previously presented himself as a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom. Per Breitbart News:

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), who is facing accusations of stolen valor, allegedly falsely claimed in a previous press release that he was a veteran of Afghanistan.

In a 2006 press release issued by his campaign, Walz was described as being a “veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom.”

The war in Afghanistan, which began on October 7, 2001, was called Operation Enduring Freedom, according to the Naval History and Heritage Command website. The operation’s start came after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

“Democrat Tim Walz will spend Sunday, Feb. 19th and Monday, Feb. 20th traveling across Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District as he formally announces his candidacy for the United States House of Representatives,” the press release said. “Walz, a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom and longtime Mankato educator is unopposed for the DFL endorsement and is slated to challenge Rep. Gil Gutknecht in November of 2006.”

A photo at the time featured Walz at an anti-President George W. Bush protest in which he was seen carrying a sign that read, “Enduring Freedom Veterans for [John] Kerry.”

Paul Roland Bois directed the award-winning Christian tech thriller, EXEMPLUM, which has a 100% Rotten Tomatoes critic rating and can be viewed for FREE on YouTube or Tubi. “Better than Killers of the Flower Moon,” wrote Mark Judge. “You haven’t seen a story like this before,” wrote Christian Toto. A high-quality, ad-free rental can also be streamed on Google Play, Vimeo on Demand, or YouTube Movies. Follow him on X @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.