Kamala Harris has finally broken her silence on allegations that her running mate Tim Walz abused his military service for political gain.
When Harris briefly answered questions as the Democratic candidate for the first time on Thursday, he was confronted with claims that Walz had retired from the National Guard before being deployed, and with his comment this week that he had “gone to war.”
She said, “Look, I commend everyone who has volunteered to serve our country. And I think we all should do that.”
President Biden also broke his silence on Walz’s selection as Harris’ vice presidential nominee, reportedly telling campaign staff, “When you get to know him, he’s the real deal,” according to CNN.
Kamala Harris finally answered questions from reporters on Thursday as she faced allegations that her running mate Tim Walz (pictured together) embellished his military record
Walz served in the National Guard for 24 years but never saw combat, retiring in 2005 to run for Congress after his battalion was deployed
Walz served in the National Guard for 24 years before retiring in 2005 prior to running for Congress.
Although he served as a commanding sergeant major, he was demoted back to sergeant major because he left the Army before completing training for a higher rank.
This week, Harris’ campaign team was forced to make an embarrassing change to his biography, removing the higher rank from his profile.
Walz also raised eyebrows during his introductory speech Monday, in which he made a point about gun control legislation, saying people shouldn’t have access to weapons he “carried in wartime.”
He was soon accused of never actually seeing combat, although he had trained with heavy artillery and was sent to Italy in 2003 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Walz has previously faced criticism for his claims that he served overseas in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, with some saying he implied he had served in Afghanistan.
Harris, speaking to a supporter in Michigan on Thursday, responded to accusations that her running mate had embellished his military record by saying she “commends everyone who has volunteered to serve our country.”
Conservatives criticized the questions posed to Harris on Thursday, saying they were easier than they could have been.
As discussions emerged between her and Trump’s campaign team about possible debates, Harris was asked to respond to the news that Trump had agreed to a debate in early September.
“Well, I’m glad he finally agreed to a debate on September 10,” she said.
‘I would like to have that conversation about an additional debate, or at least after September 10.’
Harris added that she and her team are working on finally being able to conduct an interview, and she hopes to schedule an interview “before the end of the month.”
Bloomberg journalist Matthew Yglesias was the driving force behind the criticism of the softball questions. He said at X: “The best journalism is that when you finally get a chance to ask a candidate a question, you ask when they’re going to answer more questions.”
Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro added: “No, this does not count as answering serious or difficult questions. This is a gentle hot stone massage.”