Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, has faced intense scrutiny regarding the accuracy of his comments about his service in the National Guard.  According to recent reports, veterans who knew Walz have spoken out against him, alleging that he is a “military impersonator” and a “habitual liar.”

 

Four veterans who knew the Democratic governor recently sat down with conservative commentator Megyn Kelly, offering their insight into the Tim Walz controversy. The group spoke about Walz’s retirement after his unit was set to deploy to Iraq, repeated claims that he had retired as a Command Sergeant Major, and more.

The veterans had nothing positive to say about Walz, accusing him of continually lying about military service for personal gain.  “He’s a habitual liar, he lies about everything. He lies about stuff that doesn’t make sense,” one of the men said. “You’re taking a piece of their thunder, and you’re trying to capture it and put it in a bottle for yourself, and use that for your own benefit.”

One of the veterans labeled the governor a “Military impersonator” over his exaggerations of his military service. Another said, “I don’t understand how he could do it morally. He has absolutely no integrity,” addressing Walz’s seemingly disingenuous claims over the years and touting his military service as a testament to his character.

Speaking about Walz’s retirement before the Iraq deployment, another claimed, “He basically said, ‘I’ve got better things to do. Go pick somebody else to go on a mission.’” The veteran continued, “If you sold out your Guard unit and abandoned them, what are you going to do at the national level?”

So he ‘misspoke’ a lot,’” Kelly said as the clips finished playing. “And just so the record’s clear, September 2005, Minnesota National Guard discovered that his paperwork had been filed — was erroneous — saying he was retiring as a Command Sergeant Major, and they updated it to show that he was retiring as an E-8 Master Sergeant.”

Minnesota National Guard’s Director of Manpower and Personnel, Col. Ryan Cochran, also released a statement about Tim Walz’s claim that he had forgone his retirement to re-enlist and serve the country because of 9/11.  However, reports indicate that Walz was not eligible for retirement until 2002, making his claim seem misleading.

Watch the veterans sound off on Walz below:

 

 

Cochran said, “Governor Tim Walz received his notification of eligibility for retirement on August 3, 2002.  He was promoted to sergeant major (E-9) on September 17, 2004, and immediately began serving as the command sergeant major for the 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery while his packet was submitted to the National Guard Bureau to appoint him to command sergeant major (E-9). Once approved by NGB, he was laterally appointed to command sergeant major (E-9) on April 1, 2005. He retired from the Minnesota National Guard on May 16, 2005. Our records do not indicate when he made his request to retire. Leadership reviews and approves all requests to retire. He was administratively reduced to master sergeant (E-8) on May 15, 2005, because he did not complete all required U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy coursework.”