A CNN correspondent used a fact-check segment to refute Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's claim that he carried weapons "in war."
Speaking about gun control, Walz, the Democrat vice-presidential nominee, has suggested he carried weapons in war.
However, CNN's Tom Foreman on Wednesday said there is "no evidence" to confirm Walz's claim.
"Walz did make a comment speaking to a group, he's done it a couple of times, where he has used language that has suggested that he carried weapons in a fighting situation," Foreman said on "CNN News Central."
"As you know, with your contact with the military, I know from coming from a military family, there is a difference between being in a combat area, being involved at a time of war, and actually being in a position where people are shooting at you. There is no evidence that at any time Gov. Walz was in a position of being shot at, and some of his language could easily be seen to suggest that he was."
Foreman continued.
"So that is absolutely false when he said that about gun rights out there," he said. "The campaign has essentially come forward to say, 'Look, he had a long career, he would never want to purposely mislead people about this.' It's what campaigns tend to say. And I'm sure we haven't heard the end of this, but it's an interesting argument that brings to mind past conflicts we've had in politics where military people start going at each other. Then you start saying, 'Well, what is the basis from this, how much of it is true and what are we to draw from that as voters.'"
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democrat presidential nominee, named Walz as her running mate Tuesday. That afternoon, the Harris campaign used X to post a quote from Walz:
"I spent 25 years in the Army and I hunt. I've been voting for common sense legislation that protects the Second Amendment, but we can do background checks. We can research the impacts of gun violence. We can make sure those weapons of war, that I carried in war, are only carried in war," the post said.
CNN reported the campaign since told the network: "In his 24 years of service, the Governor carried, fired and trained others to use weapons of war innumerable times. Governor Walz would never insult or undermine any American's service to this country."
Republican vice-presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, accused Walz of ducking service in Iraq when he left the Army National Guard and ran for Congress in 2005.
Vance, a Marine, also accused Walz of falsely claiming to have served in a combat zone.
Minnesota's National Guard disputed Walz's military biography, saying the governor did not hold the rank of command sergeant major at the time of his retirement.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.