Republican nominee for vice president, J.D. Vance, slammed CNN anchor Brianna Keilar on Thursday, accusing her of downplaying his military service in a desperate attempt to spare his Democratic counterpart’s lying about his record.
Over the past week, Tim Walz has come under fire after it was revealed he has been misleading people about his military service for a decade and a half. He made people think he served in combat and retired with a higher rank. The Democratic vice presidential nominee has been accused of abandoning his platoon right before they went to war.
DISGUSTING: CNN’s @brikeilarcnn attacks JD Vance’s military service in a despicable effort to defend Tim Walz’s stolen valor lies.
Brianna — the difference is that @JDVance never lied about his rank or his service, and when his unit deployed to Iraq, he didn’t abandon them. pic.twitter.com/mQ8DMc2XRJ
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) August 8, 2024
During a segment on CNN’s “Inside Politics,” Keilar questioned Vance’s credibility as a critic, labeling him an “imperfect messenger.” She pointed out that Vance served as a “public affairs specialist” during his time in Iraq, a role she argued might make him less suited to critique Walz on matters of military valor. Her comments drew a strong response from Vance, who called her remarks “disgusting.”
Keilar, who is married to a Green Beret, elaborated on her stance during the panel discussion. “At what point did military service become a liability?” she asked, questioning the broader implications of Vance’s critique. She further noted that Vance’s official title as a “combat correspondent” might be misleading, as it could imply direct combat experience, whereas his actual role as a public affairs specialist did not involve seeing combat.
Brianna this is disgusting, and you and your entire network should be ashamed of yourselves.
When I got the call to go to Iraq, I went.
Tim Walz said he carried a gun in a war. Did he? No. It was a lie. https://t.co/kt0oxzZb83
— JD Vance (@JDVance) August 8, 2024
Other Democrats have also tried to downplay Vance’s time serving in the Marines, including Minnesota Senator Tina Smith.
Minnesota Senator Tina Smith just claimed that Tim Walz is the only candidate with a service record.
JD Vance was a Corporal with the United States Marines and deployed to Iraq.
Tim Walz never deployed overseas. pic.twitter.com/OYvIutEGJ9
— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) August 7, 2024
Vance deployed to Iraq in 2005 and 2006.
Walz used his false claim to make a name for himself as a Democratic activist during the 2004 election, claiming to be an “Enduring Freedom veteran for Kerry.”
Politico reported that “Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign updated its online biography of running mate Tim Walz’s military service amid Republican efforts to question his record in the Army National Guard.
On its website, the Harris campaign axed a reference to Walz as a “retired command sergeant major” and now says that he once served at the command sergeant major rank — a small change that nonetheless reflects his true rank at retirement from the Army National Guard. Walz, the governor of Minnesota, served for 24 years in the National Guard before retiring in 2005 from the military to run for the U.S. House, where he became the most senior enlisted soldier to serve in Congress.”
Other media outlets have since tried to cover his tracks, stealth editing stories mentioning his time in Iraq in an effort to save the Harris campaign some embarrassment.
