Pelosi rebukes ‘bankruptcy’ of criticism on Walz after VP selection

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) pushed back against criticism Republicans have made against Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) and his military record, arguing the criticism represents a “bankruptcy of their ideas.”

Walz was selected by Vice President Kamala Harris as her 2024 presidential running mate, pitting them against former President Donald Trump and Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) for the election this November. Since becoming Harris’s vice presidential nominee, Walz and his military record, in which he served 24 years in the National Guard, have come under scrutiny, with Vance contending that the Minnesota governor avoided a deployment that was announced shortly after his retirement.

“Well, first of all, it’s a sign of the bankruptcy of their ideas,” Pelosi said in an interview aired on Inside with Jen Psaki. “They don’t have anything to say, so they make up things.”

Pelosi also contended that the Minnesota governor is an “all-American man,” and that he was able to win his original Congressional run in 2006 when others doubted that he could. She added that Walz “really did connect” with voters due to his history as a veteran, and was “part of our big victory” in winning back the House of Representatives for the Democratic Party.

Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura, a former Navy SEAL, has similarly advocated for Walz, calling such criticisms against him “shameful,” “despicable,” and “hogwash.” He also knocked Vance, a former member of the U.S. Marine Corps, for doing “a disservice” for his criticism against Walz, as Marine veterans “show respect,” contending that Vance was not doing so with Harris’s running mate.

Former Minnesota National Guard Command Sgt. Maj. Doug Julin, Walz’s superior in the National Guard, stated that Walz used “a backdoor process” to exit the military before pursuing his Congressional run. Julin also said his commander and himself were informed in the fall of 2004 “that we would be alerted to go to Iraq within the next upcoming year,” and that a meeting with the command team was conducted in February 2005, for which Walz was in attendance. After the meeting, Walz informed Julin of his plans to run for Congress. 

Vance cited Julin’s statements in an interview with CNN, arguing that Walz “knew he was going to Iraq” and “decided to quit” so he could instead pursue politics.

Both Vance and Walz expressed their enthusiasm for the vice presidential debate, with the Ohio senator saying, “Of course” he wants to debate Harris’s running mate. Walz, meanwhile, said at a campaign stop he “can’t wait to debate” Vance.