Hillary Clinton defends Tim Walz against ‘stolen valor’ claims as she lauds his achievements

WASHINGTON, DC: Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton came to the defense of the Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz over accusations of "stolen valor" against him, on Monday, August 12, over the social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

Minnesota Gov Walz had served with the Army National Guard for 24 years. Months after his retirement, his former unit received a mobilization order for Iraq, which led to Republicans, including GOP VP candidate JD Vance, accusing him of enjoying "stolen valor".

"Tim Walz served honorably for two decades," Clinton wrote on X, in support of her party ticket.

"Then he joined Congress and worked to pass a new GI bill that helped fund the college educations of millions of veterans—among them, JD Vance."

What are the accusations against Tim Walz?

Since Vice President Kamala Harris announced Tim Walz as her running mate, conservatives have torn into his professional life, including his time in the military, to look for controversy.

Lieutenant Colonel John Kolb, who succeeded Walz's leadership in the National Guard, openly condemned Walz for allegedly misrepresenting his military rank and for retiring just before his unit's deployment to Iraq. He described Walz’s claim to have held the rank of Command Sergeant Major (CSM) during his service as "an affront to the Noncommissioned Officer Corps".

His voice was amplified by high-profile Republicans such as Donald Trump Jr, who questioned the media's coverage of the issue, asking, "How long is the left-wing media going to ignore this?"

Ohio Senator JD Vance also delivered a scathing criticism of Walz while interacting with reporters at a campaign rally.

"What bothers me about Tim Walz is this stolen valor garbage. Do not pretend to be something that you're not. I'd be ashamed if I was him and I lied about my military service like he did," he stated.

Internet reacts as Hillary Clinton attempts to defend Tim Walz

Conservatives reacting to Hillary Clinton's comments on the Breitbart website called her out for defending Tim Walz's honor as they claimed she was in short supply of it herself. The following tweets demonstrate the prevalent take.

"I don't think Hillary has the standing to opine on the subjects of valor or honor," wrote a person.

"Hillary hasn’t an honorable bone in her ugly body!" jibed another.

"Having Hillary Clinton come to your rescue is like having someone throw you a live power line when you're drowning," mocked a third.

"Well, Hillary has a lot in common with Walz...they're both lying, dishonorable political hacks," chided a fourth.

"The battle is long lost if you're reduced to having Hillary try to save you," quipped a fifth.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.