On Wednesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Lead,” Minnesota DFL Party Chair Ken Martin discussed 2024 Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s (D) untrue statements about his military service and fertility treatments his family used and said that “when we put it into context, what the Governor was saying and what he means is that we need gun control in this country, we need to make sure that weapons of war are not on the streets, we need IVF treatments in this country, we need to make sure that people who are seeking out fertility treatments can get them successfully.” And “he misspoke, and it’s not an embellishment to say that we sought fertility treatments, it’s not an embellishment to say that he actually carried a weapon of war.”
Host Jake Tapper asked, “I do want to ask you about what seemed like some unforced errors from the Governor, saying that he carried a weapon of war in war, which he never — he served honorably, but was never actually in a war zone, talking about his family’s struggle for fertility, he said that an attack on IVF is an attack on his family. They didn’t actually use IVF, they used a different fertility procedure. These seem like unnecessary errors.”
Martin responded, “Well, look, the reality is, as it relates to the fertility issue, the Governor and his wife struggled with fertility, like millions of Americans do throughout this country, and the reality is, they sought a treatment. Luckily, they were able to be successful with IUI. They didn’t need to seek out IVF. But under Donald Trump and Sen. JD Vance’s (R-OH) policies and proposals, of course, we would see total bans on IVF around the country, and that’s what we’re really talking about here. And then the same thing with the weapons of war comment, right? When you put it into context, the Governor did carry a weapon of war, right?”
Tapper cut in to respond, “Sure. But not in war.”
Martin then said, “Well, that’s correct, but the reality is, he knows weapons of war, he’s fired weapons of war in training. And the reality is, at the end of the day, he knows weapons of war should not be on the streets throughout America. And that — when we put it into context, what the Governor was saying and what he means is that we need gun control in this country, we need to make sure that weapons of war are not on the streets, we need IVF treatments in this country, we need to make sure that people who are seeking out fertility treatments can get them successfully.”
Tapper then cut in to ask, “You know him, do you think he understands that these embellishments hurt the message that he’s trying to deliver?”
Martin answered, “I don’t think they’re embellishments, right? Maybe he misspoke, but they’re not embellishments. He served, he carried weapons of war, him and his wife actually sought out fertility treatments. There’s nothing that’s embellishing his –.”
Tapper then cut in to say, “He said things that weren’t accurate.”
Martin countered, “Well, that’s — he misspoke, and it’s not an embellishment to say that we sought fertility treatments, it’s not an embellishment to say that he actually carried a weapon of war.”
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