Donald Trump and his GOP allies have jumped on a new angle of attack when it comes to Kamala Harris' running mate, but it is "inaccurate" and won't work, according to a former Republican lawmaker.
Trump and others have questioned Tim Walz's military record, suggesting he "abandoned" his platoon when he ran for a political office after decades of service in reserves.
Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), who himself served in the U.S. Air Force, condemned the military attacks.
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"As anyone who has served in the military knows, there are often good-spirited jokes about other branches and jobs. The Air Force gets called the 'Chair Force' (we love this, actually), the Marines get called dumb, and so on," Kinzinger wrote on his Substack blog. "While not true, these jokes keep interservice rivalries lively and everyone on their toes. In general, we all respect each other and understand that whether you are kicking down doors, flying planes, gassing vehicles, or cooking food, you are willing to do what 98 percent of the country isn’t: serve for a cause above all others. This makes the attacks on Tim Walz, particularly from JD Vance, especially sickening."
He continued:
"JD Vance was an enlisted Marine who served honorably. While he didn’t see combat (he was in public affairs), he still deployed and served his nation as expected. He got out at the end of his service commitment and did not make it a 20-year career. Tim Walz joined the Army Guard and served honorably for 24 years, achieving the highest enlisted rank offered. That is quite an accomplishment. The nation should be proud, and JD Vance should be respectful of his fellow warrior."
Further, according to Kinzinger, the "attacks on Walz have proven to be not only false but also disgusting."
He went on to debunk the "lie" that "Walz quickly exited the military after learning he was going to deploy, thereby leaving his men out to dry."
"Gov. Walz actually put in his paperwork for retirement before any deployments were alerted. In fact, he served for four years AFTER 9/11 and two years after the Iraq war," the ex-lawmaker wrote. "He did not leave at the first sign of combat. He stayed well past when he could have retired at 20 years."
He also debunked the claim that "Walz left his men without leadership."
"is unit was fully staffed and had adequate leadership without him. In fact, had the unit not had appropriate staffing, they could have denied his retirement and ordered a 'stop loss,' which happened to thousands of military members in jobs that needed people. Stop loss was used regularly and would have been enacted if the situation deemed it."
