Walz ‘misspoke’ in saying he served ‘in war,’ Harris campaign says

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz “misspoke” in a newly resurfaced video from 2018 in which he said he handled assault weapons “in war,” a Harris campaign spokesperson told CNN on Saturday.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz “misspoke” in a newly resurfaced video from 2018 in which he said he handled assault weapons “in war,” a Harris campaign spokesperson told CNN on Saturday. Walz’s military record has been heavily scrutinized by Republicans, including GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance, after Walz was tapped as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate on Monday. Vance has accused the Minnesota governor of “stolen valor,” pointing to a video from 2018 circulated by the Harris campaign this week of Walz referring to weapons “that I carried in war” while explaining his support for an assault weapons ban. “We can make sure those weapons of war, that I carried in war, are only carried in war,” Walz said in the video. Lauren Hitt, a Harris campaign spokesperson, said in a statement the governor misspoke in the clip. “Governor Walz would never insult or undermine any American’s service to this country — in fact, he thanks Senator Vance for putting his life on the line for our country. It’s the American way,” Hitt said in the statement. “In making the case for why weapons of war should never be on our streets or in our classrooms, the Governor misspoke,” Hitt continued. “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.”