Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz "misspoke" when he said he used weapons "in war," a campaign spokesperson told NBC News on Friday.
Walz's military record has faced scrutiny and outright attacks from the right, including his GOP counterpart J.D. Vance, who accused Walz of "stolen valor."
The Minnesota governor said in a 2018 video distributed by the Harris campaign Tuesday: “We can make sure that those weapons of war, that I carried in war, is the only place where those weapons are at."
The campaign walked back some of its tweet and accompanying video, telling the outlet Friday that the governor "misspoke."
“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," a Harris campaign spokesperson said in the statement.
Read also: GOP's smearing of Tim Walz's military record reminiscent of 'Swiftboat' attacks: Democrat
"In making the case for why weapons of war should never be on our streets or in our classrooms, the Governor misspoke. 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,” the spokesperson added.
Steven Cheung, Trump's often incendiary spokesman, told NBC News in an email: “Why won’t Tim Walz address his lies himself? Why does he need to send out lowly spokespeople to clean up his own mess?”
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