NEW YORK POST
Vice President Kamala Harris had nothing but “praise” for her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, when questioned Thursday about his service in the National Guard.
Harris, 59, was asked by a reporter to respond to criticism that Walz “deserted his own troops, deserted his own colleagues” when he opted to retire from the Minnesota National Guard in May 2005, as his battalion was preparing to deploy to the Iraq war zone.
“Listen, I praise anyone who has presented themselves to serve our country,” Harris said. “And I think that we all should.”
Walz, 60, served 24 years in the Minnesota National Guard before retiring to run for the House of Representatives in the state’s 1st Congressional District. He unseated incumbent Republican Gil Gutknecht in that race, in which Walz made his opposition to the Iraq war a centerpiece of his campaign.
The Minnesota governor joined the National Guard after high school and had served in the 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery, prior to his retirement.
Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance accused Walz on Wednesday of embellishing his military service.
“He said we shouldn’t allow weapons that I used in war to be on America’s streets,” Vance said in Michigan. “Well, I wonder. Tim Walz, when were you ever in war?
“What bothers me about Tim Walz is the stolen valor garbage. Do not pretend to be something that you’re not,” added Vance, a Marine Corps veteran.
