The heat continues to increase for the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris, this time in the form of criticism for her running mate, someone who has feigned more public service than he actually participated in.
Democrat vice presidential candidate Gov. Tim Walz (MN) was sharply criticized for lying about his military experience in a letter sent on Wednesday by fifty Republican veterans sitting in the United States Congress, as Breitbart News reported.
As Walz prepared to speak at the Democratic National Convention, the letter was leaked, in which they stated:
The Office of the Vice President is a position that requires the trust of the American people and a solemn commitment to duty on behalf of the United States of America. As veterans who have served our nation, we feel compelled to address your egregious misrepresentations and urge you to come clean to the American people.
This pushback is hardly something unexpected among Republicans, who are known for being a highly military-involved group.
Those who served in the military often run on their record, which is a tradition Walz seemed to be attempting to do as well, before it was discovered that he was blowing his service out of proportion.
According to some, his exaggeration was growing to the point of stolen valor.
"There is no honor in lying about the nature of your service," the Republican members stated, while stating that Walz should be proud of his service in the National Guard:
Repeatedly claiming to be a ‘Retired Command Sergeant Major’ when you did not complete the requirements was not honorable. Nor was it honorable to claim to carry weapons ‘in war’ when you had not served in war, and abandoning the men and women under your leadership just as they were getting ready to deploy was certainly not honorable either.
Although Walz was really a retired master sergeant, he made the bogus claim that he was a former command sergeant major, the highest enlisted position in the Army.
Furthermore, he made an unfounded assertion about having guns "in war" despite never having been deployed to a combat zone.
The former military members didn't pull any punches, saying, “To be blunt, when you falsely claim military service that did not happen and abandon your post, you diminish the real sacrifices made by veterans who did serve in combat,” they wrote.
The excruciating diatribe went on to describe what many experience through service, saying "The honor of wearing the uniform is earned through dedication, bravery, and an unwavering sense of duty.
"You have displayed none of these characteristics as you have lied your way through a political career launched on the foundation of a title you did not earn and combat deployments you did not take part in."
Their deep concern, they said, originated with the fact that he was seeking the office of vice president, which is "one heartbeat away" from commander-in-chief.
