Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance has intensified his criticism of Democratic ticket Tim Walz, accusing the Minnesota governor of dishonesty about his military service for political gain in an interview with CNN.
Vance pointed to Walz’s past statements claiming to have carried weapons “in war,” despite the fact that he never deployed to a combat zone. While a Harris campaign spokesperson attributed this to a misstatement, Vance maintains that Walz deliberately misled the public.
He cited retired Command Sgt. Maj. Doug Julin, a former superior and critic of Walz, who told CNN that Walz retired from the Army National Guard months before a deployment to Iraq in 2004. Vance argues this demonstrates that Walz knew about the deployment and chose to retire to pursue a political career, contradicting previous statements that he was unaware of the upcoming deployment.
“He lied about that. He said that when he decided to retire, he did not know he was going to Iraq. That is another untruth,” Vance declared. He emphasized that he is not criticizing Walz’s service, but rather his dishonesty for political gain.
Vance further criticized Harris for choosing Walz as her running mate, calling it a “serious lapse in judgment.” He demanded that Harris personally address his accusations, saying:
“I don’t want to hear from a campaign spokesperson… I want to hear Kamala Harris herself address what I just said.”
The political landscape has shifted dramatically for Trump and Vance as Election Day approaches. What was once a seemingly comfortable race for the Republicans, with Trump leading in polls for much of the year, has become much tighter since President Biden stepped down as the Democratic nominee, replaced by Kamala Harris. The unexpected shift has forced Trump and Vance to adapt their campaign strategies just three months before the election.
