Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Mich., told Newsmax on Thursday that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz "would be best served" if he stepped aside as Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate over allegations of stolen valor.
Walz has come under fire for describing himself as having retired with the rank of command sergeant major, for claiming in 2018 that he carried weapons of war "in war," and for retiring from his unit shortly before they were deployed to Iraq.
"Life is what it is," said Bergman, a retired Marine Corps lieutenant general, in an appearance on "Wake Up America."
"And if you did something, you did it. If you didn't, don't say you did."
He added that Walz was "running from the fight, leaving other soldiers ... to fight the fight and then him talking about it afterward and claiming credit. It's on the national stage."
Bergman said Walz is "going to have to come clean ... for the reality of his record."
The congressman said voters "already know" that "he didn't achieve what he said he achieved, but most importantly ... don't denigrate the service of your fellow soldiers, your fellow service members, just to claim your own political success ... because it's going to come back to bite you."
He added that the governor "would be best served to just kind of say, You know what? I lied, and I think you should find somebody else for VP."
When asked if an apology would be accepted by the public, Bergman said, "Probably not in this case because it's too high an office in the land. It would be one thing if he was running for dogcatcher or, you know, something, you know, something menial."
Bergman later said that in order to serve as "the vice president of United States, No. 2 in line to the presidency, you can't [have a] reputation as a liar."
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Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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