Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz “misspoke” in a 2018 video about “weapons of war that I carried in war,” a spokesperson for the Harris–Walz campaign said on Aug. 12.
Walz, the Democratic nominee for vice president, made the remark in a video circulated by the campaign, commenting on gun control.
“We can make sure that those weapons of war, that I carried in war, is the only place where those weapons are at,” Walz said.
Critics, including Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), the Republican nominee for vice president, have accused Walz of lying about his military record for political advantage.
Lauren Hitt, a spokesperson for the Harris–Walz campaign, said the governor simply misspoke.
“In making the case for why weapons of war should never be on our streets or in our classrooms, the governor misspoke,” Hitt said in a written statement.
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“He did handle weapons of war and believes strongly that only military members trained to carry those deadly weapons should have access to them,” she said.
Vance, a Marine Corps veteran who was deployed to Iraq as a military journalist, did not accept that characterization of the event in an interview recorded on Aug. 12.
“He misspoke. Another word is that he lied about it, and he didn’t correct the record for 15 years until he was put under political pressure because I called it out,” Vance said.
“It’s not right to misstate or embellish what you’ve done, and I think that’s what he did,” Vance said.
Walz, who served for 24 years in the Army National Guard, has also been criticized for the timing of his 2005 retirement, which came shortly before his unit deployed to Iraq. Walz was a candidate for Congress at the time.
In a March 2005 statement, Walz said: “I do not yet know if my artillery unit will be part of this mobilization and I am unable to comment further on specifics of the deployment.”
He added, “As Command Sergeant Major I have a responsibility not only to ready my battalion for Iraq, but also to serve if called on. I am dedicated to serving my country to the best of my ability, whether that is in Washington, D.C., or in Iraq.”
Walz retired in May. The unit received mobilization orders in August and was deployed in March 2006.
Hitt said: “Governor Walz would never insult or undermine any American’s service to this country—in fact, he thanks Senator Vance for putting his life on the line for our country. It’s the American way.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
