Harris campaign says Walz 'misspoke' in 2018 reference to carrying weapons in war

Gov. Tim Walz National Guard timeline explained

Following scrutiny from Republican vice president candidate JD Vance, FOX 9 examined the service records of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to learn when we ended his service.

(FOX 9) - Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate, "misspoke" in a video from 2018 where Walz said he handled weapons "in war," a Harris-Walz campaign spokesperson told the Associated Press (AP) Saturday.

What was said in the 2018 video?

The 2018 video was circulated on social media by the Harris campaign, according to AP. In the video, Walz speaks out against gun violence saying, "We can make sure that those weapons of war, that I carried in war, is the only place where those weapons are at."

The comment implies that Walz presented himself as someone who had spent time in a combat zone. Walz did serve for 24 years in the Army National Guard but was never in a combat zone, according to AP.

What the Harris-Walz campaign is saying

A spokesperson for the Harris-Walz campaign, Lauren Hitt, told AP in a statement Saturday that Walz had "misspoke" in the video.

"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 to AP.

"In making the case for why weapons of war should never be on our streets or in our classrooms, the Governor misspoke," Hitt 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."

Criticism and questioning of Walz's military record

Republicans like vice presidential nominee, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, has criticized Walz's time in the military, including the timing of his retirement from the Army National Guard.

"You know what really bothers me about Tim Walz, as a Marine who has served his country in uniform?" Vance said to a crowd in Michigan Wednesday. "When the U.S. Marine Corps, when the United States of America asked me to serve my country, I did it. I did it honorably, and I’m very proud of it. 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, a fact that he’s been criticized for aggressively by a lot of the people he served with."

As previously reported on FOX 9, these accusations stem from a Facebook post from a pair of by soldiers back in 2018, when Walz first ran for governor.

"They make it sound like it was, it was a surprise," said Master Sgt. Thomas Eustice, who served with and under Walz for several years in the National Guard. "It was not. He had talked about it for a very long time, not only with the higher ups, but with his soldiers."

Here is the timeline of Walz's National Guard departure:

He filed to run for Congress in February 2005.
In March, the military raised the possibility of his unit being deployed to Iraq.
Two months later, Walz officially retired.
Two months after that, his old unit was notified of its mobilization.