Correction: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz retired with the rank of master sergeant after achieving the rank of command sergeant major during his service in the National Guard. A previous article contained incorrect information.
Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) combined two popular lines of attack against Vice President Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) on Sunday, hitting the ticket for dodging interviews and spreading misleading claims about Walz’s military record.
“I enjoyed sitting down with three of the major networks today to answer the tough questions any leader should answer,” Vance wrote in a social media post after appearing on multiple Sunday morning news shows.
“Kamala Harris has done as many tough interviews as Tim Walz has battlefield deployments,” he added.
Harris has largely avoided answering questions from the press since taking over as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, bringing attacks from conservatives and some journalists alike.
She said at an event last week that she will work to book a wide-ranging sit-down interview “before the end of the month.”
Vance also added to GOP fury over Walz’s military service. Walz served 24 years in the National Guard, enlisting at 17 years old and retiring in 2005 as a master sergeant, after achieving the rank of command sergeant major. He later became the highest ranking enlisted to ever serve in Congress.
Republicans, including Vance, have falsely claimed that Walz’s 2005 retirement was timed to avoid a deployment to Iraq, though he submitted his paperwork to run for Congress — and retire from the National Guard — a month before his unit was informed of an impending Iraq deployment.
The attacks have been compared to “Swift Boat,” the 2004 scandal of attacks on then-Sen. John Kerry’s (D-Mass.) military record during his own presidential campaign, which were also misleading.
Walz never served in a combat zone during his Guard service.
The Harris campaign has previously denounced the attacks on Walz’s service record.
“After 24 years of military service, Governor Walz retired in 2005 and ran for Congress, where he chaired Veterans Affairs and was a tireless advocate for our men and women in uniform — and as Vice President of the United States he will continue to be a relentless champion for our veterans and military families,” the campaign told The Associated Press last week.
Vance also served in the military, being deployed to Iraq as a Public Affairs officer in the Marine Corps as part of four years of service.
The attacks have also raised questions over former President Trump’s lack of military service, given that he was given multiple medical deferments to avoid the Vietnam War draft that have since come under scrutiny.