Fifty members of Congress, all Republican military veterans, signed a letter to Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, demanding that the Minnesota governor "come clean" about the "egregious misrepresentations" of his military service, Politico reported on Wednesday.
"As veterans who have served our nation, we feel compelled to address your egregious misrepresentations and urge you to come clean to the American people," the letter reads. "You have stated that you are ‘damn proud’ of your service, and like any American veteran, you should be. But there is no honor in lying about the nature of your service."
Since becoming Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate last month, Walz has faced enormous backlash for misrepresenting his 24 years of service in the National Guard.
The governor has continually claimed to be a "retired command sergeant major" but actually retired at a lower rank. He also claimed to have carried weapons "in war," although he never saw combat, and he abandoned his battalion just months before they were sent to Iraq. His counterpart and fellow veteran J.D. Vance has repeatedly equated Walz’s military misrepresentations to "stolen valor."
The congressmen's letter—signed by Republican House and Senate military veterans, including Sens. Joni Ernst (Iowa), Roger Marshall (Kan.), Reps. Jim Banks (Ind.), Ronny Jackson (Texas), and Brian Mast (Fla.), who lost his legs while serving in Afghanistan—came after a Friday statement signed by 18 Democratic military veteran members of Congress defending Walz from the attacks on his record, Politico reported.
The GOP veterans voiced their concern about Walz’s ability to lead as America’s vice president after he abandoned his troops in a "time of war."
"Our grave concern stems from the fact that the office of the Vice President is one heartbeat away from becoming the Commander-In-Chief. You’ve already demonstrated your unwillingness to lead in time of war and a lack of honor through your blatant misrepresentations exploiting and co-opting the experiences of America’s combat veterans for personal gain," the letter said.
Walz misrepresenting his military service reaches back to his 2006 congressional run, when his campaign’s media kit falsely claimed he served in Afghanistan, the Washington Free Beacon reported.
"When America asked you to lead your troops into War, you turned your back on your troops. You have violated the trust of our brothers and sisters in arms," the congressmen said. "Until you admit you lied to them, there is no way you can be trusted to serve as Vice President."