Republican Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, a Marine Corps veteran, criticized Democrat Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's claims that he served in combat during a war.
Walz, Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate, said in a 2018 video regarding gun control that "weapons of war, that I carried in war" only belong in war zones. But Walz, who for 24 years served in the Army National Guard, never saw combat in a war zone.
"So, forget about me," Sears said, according to the Washington Examiner, which cited an interview she gave with Fox News on Monday. "These families and those service members who were in actual combat, who suffered so much, they're suffering from PTSD. We have a suicide crisis among our veterans who served in combat.
"And for this man, who never served a day in combat, to talk about weapons that he carried in war? When did that ever happen, sir? And to take on a rank you never earned? Why are you doing that? Oh, what a tangled web they weave when they first practice to deceive."
Sears was referring to Walz's claim that he retired from the National Guard as a command sergeant major, which has been disputed by many, including the Minnesota National Guard, which said he retired as a master sergeant because he didn't complete additional coursework at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy. Walz's claim remains in his official gubernatorial biography.
Harris' campaign said Friday in a statement Friday to NBC News that Walz "misspoke" while "making the case for why weapons of war should never be on our streets or in our classrooms."
Sears added she heard Walz had served honorably "until he got into the war part," referring to how he left the National Guard to pursue a congressional run shortly before his unit was to be deployed to Iraq. Former Minnesota National Guard Command Sgt. Maj. Doug Julin, Walz's superior, said Walz used "a backdoor process" to exit the military, the Examiner reported.
"You never were in war. Don't go there," Sears said, referring to Walz.
Newsmax reached out to the Harris campaign for comment.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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