Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz “misspoke” in a newly resurfaced video from 2018 in which he said he handled assault weapons “in war,” a Harris campaign spokesperson told CNN on Saturday.
Walz’s military record has been heavily scrutinized by Republicans, including GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance, in the days after being tapped as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate on Monday. Vance has accused Walz of “stolen valor,” pointing to a video from 2018 circulated by the Harris campaign this week of Walz referring to weapons “that I carried in war” while explaining his support for an assault weapons ban.
“We can make sure those weapons of war, that I carried in war, are only carried in war,” Walz said in the video.
Lauren Hitt, a Harris campaign spokesperson, said in a statement the governor misspoke in the clip.
“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,” Hitt said in the statement.
“In making the case for why weapons of war should never be on our streets or in our classrooms, the Governor misspoke,” she continued. “He did handle weapons of war and believes strongly that only military members trained to carry those deadly weapons should have access to them, unlike Donald Trump and JD Vance who prioritize the gun lobby over our children.”
Walz served in the Army National Guard for 24 years, most recently in the Minnesota National Guard, before retiring to run for Congress in 2005. He deployed with his unit to Italy in 2003 in support of the US war effort in Afghanistan, but did not deploy to a combat zone as part of his service.
