Bloomberg News has edited a profile of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), the new running mate for Vice President Kamala Harris, to note that he served in Italy, not in Iraq, during his time in the National Guard.
Walz faces accusations of “stolen valor” after falsely claiming that he carried a weapon in “war,” and also claiming to have retired from the Guard as a command sergeant major, whereas in fact he retired as a master sergeant, one rank below.
Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) accused Walz of “stolen valor” on Wednesday, after Walz had attacked him the day before for having attended Yale Law School. Vance added the accusation that Walz quit the Guard rather than deploying to Iraq.
You know what really bothers me about Tim Walz?
— JD Vance (@JDVance) August 7, 2024
When the US Marine Corps asked me to go to Iraq to serve my country, I did it.
When Tim Walz was asked by his country to go to Iraq, he dropped out of the Army and allowed his unit to go without him. I think that's shameful. pic.twitter.com/Dq9xjn4R51
CNN belatedly caught onto Walz’s embellishment of his service in “war” on Wednesday, noting it was incorrect:
CNN on Governor Tim Walz:
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) August 7, 2024
“Walz did make a comment, he’s done it a couple times, where he has used language that suggested that he carried weapons in a fighting situation. There is no evidence that any time that he was in the position of being shot at and some of his language… pic.twitter.com/o7gEPW5Xj3
Bloomberg News, which ran a Walz profile by Joshua Green, has now also corrected its text. Green had reported in the past that Walz served in Iraq, though it is unclear whether Walz told him that or he simply made his own mistake.
Green had written that Walz served in Iraq during Operation Enduring Freedom (which referred to Afghanistan butt also the broader war on terror). On Wednesday, the article was corrected, with a note, to say Walz had served in Italy.
My Walz newsletter yesterday wrongly stated he'd served in Iraq -- he didn't. He served in Italy. My error. Story has been corrected online and on the terminal: https://t.co/H7ct8Rj7Yp https://t.co/r581UO90oc pic.twitter.com/yD3b8udiiR
— Joshua Green (JoshuaGreen.bsky.social on 🟦) (@JoshuaGreen) August 7, 2024
As the media corrects its own reporting, the question remains whether Walz will have to correct his own statements. Reporters have begun asking about it at White House press briefings and on the campaign trail. Only time will tell.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of “”The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days,” available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of “The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency,” now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
