Veterans for Trump called on Moore Capito, a leading West Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate, to apologize for “shameful stolen valor” after he featured a photo of himself on his campaign website that critics say appears to mislead voters into thinking he is a veteran.
Breitbart News’s Kristina Wong reported this week that Capito’s campaign website has him “wearing a camouflage flak jacket and carrying a helmet on an airstrip with a military plane in the background.”
Moore Capito (Facebook)
Capito’s bio said that he did not serve in the military:
After graduating college, Moore worked in Washington, D.C. to begin his career in public service. He worked for the Republican Majority in the United States Congress, traveled in support of the President as a member of The White House advance team, and served on the staff of the Secretary of Defense.
Veterans for Trump Chairman Vlad Lemets said in a written statement Friday, “This is disgraceful, a slap in the face to all the brave men and women who served our country. Capito Needs to apologize for shameful stolen valor.”
Moore Capito appears to deceive voters WEBSITE: https://t.co/RaxOx5ACRJ “This is disgraceful , a slap in the face to all the brave men and women who served our country. Capito Needs to apologize for shameful stolen valor” said combat veteran Vlad Lemets VFAF Chairman.… pic.twitter.com/Ji51wyPiKm
— Stan Fitzgerald Veterans for Trump, Legacy PAC (@RealSFitzgerald) September 8, 2023
Sean Parnell, a former Republican U.S. Senate candidate for Pennsylvania and an Army combat veteran, said the photo choice was meant to mislead Mountain State voters.
“He can try to deny it all he wants, but Moore Capito knew exactly what he was trying to do with this picture. Attempting to fool voters into thinking that you served in the military, when you actually haven’t, is a slap in the face to every single veteran who has served,” Parnell explained.
Moore campaign spokesman Kent Gates said in a statement to Wong, “The political operatives who have been pitching this around know that they are shopping garbage: the picture directly corresponds to the biographical line about Moore having worked under a Secretary of Defense. Our opponents have turned to this ridiculous attack to deflect from sagging poll numbers.”
Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.
