Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, former President Donald Trump’s 2024 running mate, outfoxed CNN anchor Dana Bash when he appeared on her “State of the Union” show on Sunday, August 11. He did so to attack Minnesota Gov. Walz for what Vance and many others argue were Walz’s lies about his military service.
As background, Walz, who formerly served as a sergeant major in the Army National Guard, retired and dropped out despite having two years left on his contract when the unit was to be deployed to Iraq, with many saying that he left his men in the lurch by doing so. He has also lied about his military service, saying he carried weapons “in war” when he never served in combat or during a war. Many argue that those exaggerations of his service and his leaving service when it would have meant war show that he has engaged in “stolen valor.”
Concluding, Sen. Vance noted that he is proud of his service and has never lied about it, telling her, “Dana, now I served in the United States Marine Corps, you know this. And look, there are a lot of things that I’m proud about. I’ve never lied about what I did or overstated it because it would be beneficial to me in an election. I think that’s what Tim Walz did. That’s what I was criticizing. Yes, I do think it’s scandalous behavior.”
Watch Vance here:
Attacking Walz for the same thing previously, Sen. Vance said, “When the United States of America asked me to go to Iraq, to serve my country, I did it. I did what they asked me to do, and I did it honorably. And I’m very proud of that service. When Tim Walz was asked by his country to go to Iraq, you know what he did? He dropped out of the Army and allowed his unit to go without him.”
