Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz "slipped up" only "one time" on his military record, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg argued Sunday.
CNN’s "State of the Union" co-host Dana Bash asked Buttigieg to comment about Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance’s ongoing attacks against Walz, claiming Walz lied about details of his military service for political gain.
Buttigieg dismissed Vance’s claims, suggesting they prove Walz’s spotless record.
"The fact that they have to go back to find a clip from 2018 to find the one time that he slipped up when he talks about the weapons of war that he carried and said something instead about carrying weapons in war. It‘s kind of an exception that proves the rule in terms of how hard you have to look to find him all saying anything that isn‘t precise and accurate," Buttigieg said.
CNN FACT-CHECKS TIM WALZ ABOUT ‘ABSOLUTELY FALSE’ CLAIM HE CARRIED WEAPONS 'IN WAR'
The clip Buttigieg referenced featured Walz discussing gun control and referring to his own military background.
"We can make sure that those weapons of war, that I carried in war, is the only place where those weapons are at," Walz said in the clip, which was posted by Kamala Harris’ campaign on X.
A Harris campaign spokesperson later issued a statement admitting that Walz "misspoke" in the clip since he was never deployed in a combat zone.
"In making the case for why weapons of war should never be on our streets or in our classrooms, the Governor misspoke. He did handle weapons of war and believes strongly that only military members trained to carry those deadly weapons should have access to them, unlike Donald Trump and JD Vance who prioritize the gun lobby over our children," the spokesperson added.
The Washington Post fact-checker called Walz's claim "sloppy and false" on Saturday.
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The segment did not reference other accusations against Walz, such as his Harris campaign website biography claiming he was a "retired Command Sergeant Major."
National Guard officials have said that Walz retired before fulfilling requirements for the position, including coursework at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy. Though he achieved the rank of command sergeant major, he was later reduced in rank to master sergeant.
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Walz’s biography has been updated to say he "served as a command sergeant major."
