CNN Fact-Checks Walz’s Claims About Military Service

CNN fact-checks Tim Walz’s claims about military service, finding it “absolutely false” he carried weapons “in war.”

by Hailey Gomez

CNN correspondent Tom Foreman delivered a fact-check Wednesday against Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz after he claimed to have carried weapons “in war.”

Foreman appeared on “CNN News Central” alongside show co-host Brianna Keilar, where he discussed a previous claim Walz made that suggesting he carried weapons in war while speaking about gun control. Foreman stated there is “no evidence” to suggest the Democratic governor’s comments were true.

“Walz did make a comment speaking to a group, he’s done it a couple of times, where he has used language that has suggested that he carried weapons in a fighting situation,” Foreman said. “As you know, with your contact with the military, I know from coming from a military family, there is a difference between being in a combat area, being involved at a time of war and actually being in a position where people are shooting at you. There is no evidence that at any time Governor Walz was in a position of being shot at, and some of his language could easily be seen to suggest that he was.”

“So that is absolutely false when he said that about gun rights out there. The campaign has essentially come forward to say, ‘Look, he had a long career, he would never want to purposely mislead people about this.’ It’s what campaigns tend to say. And I’m sure we haven’t heard the end of this, but it’s an interesting argument that brings to mind past conflicts we’ve had in politics where military people start going at each other. Then you start saying, ‘Well, what is the basis from this, how much of it is true and what are we to draw from that as voters,’” Foreman concluded.

The Harris’ campaign on Tuesday promoted a video online in which Walz could be heard stating he wanted to ban weapons he “carried in war” as he advocated for a weapons ban following the Parkland shooting in 2018.

“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.

The campaign has since told CNN, Walz “would never insult or undermine any American’s service to this country,” noting how he “carried, fired and trained others to use weapons of war innumerable times.”

Republican running mate J.D.Vance appeared at a press conference Wednesday, where he called Walz “dishonest” over statements made about his time in the military.

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