Pelosi is losing her mind.
In 2007, Tim Walz, the running mate of Vice President Kamala Harris, found himself at the center of controversy regarding his military background. During a press conference on February 16 of that year, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi praised Walz, then a freshman congressman, for his service “on the battlefield.” This commendation was given despite the fact that Walz, who was 60 years old, had never been deployed to an active combat zone during his 24-year career with the Minnesota National Guard.
The praise from Pelosi, as captured in footage obtained by the Washington Free Beacon, seemed to imply a level of combat experience that Walz did not possess. Walz had served in Italy and Norway in support roles, but he had never been in a combat situation, such as Afghanistan or Iraq. Despite this, he accepted Pelosi’s praise graciously, thanking her and the leadership present at the press conference.
The situation has raised questions among Republicans, especially after Walz was selected as a running mate for the 2024 Democratic presidential ticket. Critics, including Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance, have accused Walz of misleading the public about his military service. Vance, a Marine Corps veteran, recently challenged Walz’s statements about his military experience, highlighting that Walz had retired from the National Guard just before his battalion was set to deploy to Iraq. Vance questioned Walz’s claim of having carried weapons in combat, citing a 2018 clip where Walz discussed “weapons of war” in the context of gun violence.
Additionally, there have been discrepancies regarding Walz’s military rank. At the press conference, Walz inaccurately claimed to have held the rank of “command sergeant major,” though he had retired as a master sergeant, having not completed the necessary coursework for the higher rank. This claim was recently removed from his official biography on the Harris-Walz campaign website.
In response to the criticism, Kamala Harris defended Walz, emphasizing the value of all who serve their country. She stated, “I praise anyone who has presented themselves to serve our country. And I think that we all should.” Despite the ongoing debates about Walz’s military service, Harris’s stance highlights a broader respect for those who commit to serving the nation.
