Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign has updated vice presidential nominee Tim Walz’s online biography about his military service amid Republicans questioning his history with the Army National Guard.
On its website, the Harris campaign removed a description of Walz as a “retired master sergeant” and now says he previously served at the rank of master sergeant. It’s a small change, but it reflects his true rank when he retired from the Army National Guard. Walz, the Minnesota governor, served in the National Guard for 24 years before retiring in 2005 to run for the U.S. House of Representatives, where he achieved the highest rank in the House of Representatives.
Republican vice presidential candidate leads J.D. VanceWalz is a Marine veteran who served in Iraq, but Republicans claim he exaggerated his record by calling himself a “retired master sergeant.” The Minnesota governor did serve as a master sergeant, but was demoted to the rank of sergeant major when he retired from the military because he did not complete the courses required for master sergeant at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy.
Similar accusations have dogged Walz in past elections, including his 2018 gubernatorial race, when a paid letter from two retired Army sergeants alleged that Walz lied about his rank during the election, which he won.
“The son of a military veteran who served as a master sergeant in the Army, Waltz was the ranking member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee where he passed legislation to stop veteran suicides,” according to Harris’ campaign bio for Waltz.
The original biography, in the same sentence, called Waltz “the son of an Army veteran and a former master sergeant in the Army National Guard,” according to an archived version of the website. A Harris campaign spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Waltz’s Minnesota governor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The office’s website still lists Waltz as “Major Sergeant Waltz,” a title that was also used on Waltz’s campaign website for governor.
“Waltz was promoted to and served in that position as master sergeant but did not complete additional courses and was discharged as a master sergeant for benefits purposes in 2005,” said Lt. Col. Kristen Auger, an Army spokeswoman. In a previous statement to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
