Kamala Harris and Tim Walz’s campaign has walked back a statement that the Minnesota governor made in 2018, in which he claimed to have carried guns “in war” during a speech in support of gun control measures.
“We can make sure that those weapons of war, that I carried in war, is the only place where those weapons are at,” Walz said in the recently unearthed clip, according to NBC.
The clean-up comes after Republicans have launched several attacks on Walz this week for the way he has portrayed his service record and his decision to run for congress in the months before his Army National Guard unit was tapped to deploy to Iraq.
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In 2003, Walz deployed to Italy in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, the official name for the war in Afghanistan—but never saw combat or set foot in the Middle East.
“In making the case for why weapons of war should never be on our streets or in our classrooms, the Governor misspoke,” Harris spokesperson Ammar Moussa told the Washington Post in a statement Friday. “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.”
“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,” Moussa added.
Donald Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), who served as a public affairs officer in Iraq, blasted Walz at a Michigan campaign rally on Wednesday over the comment, asking, “I wonder, Tim Walz, when were you ever in war?”
Vance went so far as to allege Walz had committed “stolen valor.”
Trump campaign co-chair Chris LaCivita added in a post on X, “IVE SEEN THIS ACT BEFORE — AND IT DOESNT END WELL …” replying to a video of Tom Behrends, a man who served in Walz’s unit, telling right-wing media outlet Alpha News that Walz “abandoned us.”
LaCivita, notably, was an architect of the “Swift Boat Veterans for Truth” campaign, which cast doubt on Sen. John Kerry’s military service during his 2004 run for president.
The Harris campaign earlier this week also quietly edited Walz’s rank on the campaign website—from “retired command sergeant major” to “retired sergeant major,” according to the Washington Post.
