from CNN Dana Bash pressured by Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) over his attacks on Governor. Tim Walz(D-Minn.) on Sunday, amid questions about former President Trump's history of avoiding the Vietnam War draft.
Vance and other Republicans have repeatedly questioned Walz's service in the National Guard, falsely claiming that he decided to retire in 2005 after 24 years of service to avoid a deployment to Iraq. Walz retired to run for Congress that year.
Bash pushed back against those attacks and questioned Trump’s lack of military service. He was granted a series of medical deferments to avoid the Vietnam War, deferments that have since come under scrutiny.
“Donald Trump did not serve in the military. He got a medical deferment because of bone spurs to avoid serving in the Vietnam War, reportedly as a favor to his father,” she asked Vance. “Do you find that embarrassing?”
“I don't think Donald Trump served in the military, but he didn't lie about it,” Vance said. “Dana, I've known Donald Trump for a long time. Don't you think he honors me or that he was in my service?”
“Donald Trump didn't lie about his military service,” he continued. “He didn't say he went to Vietnam when he didn't. That's the problem.”
“I don't criticize anyone, whether they served our country or not. I think it's honorable to serve,” he added. “But of course many people have reasons not to serve. I criticize someone who embellishes his or her record by lying, by saying, 'I went to war. I did it.' Do you have a problem with the fact that he said, 'I went to war,' but he didn't? I think that's a problem.”
Walz was sent to Italy in 2003 to support U.S. troops in Iraq, but he himself has never been deployed to a war zone.
Vance also served in the Army, deploying to Iraq for four years as a Marine Corps Public Affairs officer.
The attacks on Walz have been compared to “Swift Boat,” the 2004 scandal over attacks on then-Senator John Kerry’s (D-Mass.) military record during his own presidential campaign, which were also misleading.
Harris' campaign has previously condemned attacks on Walz's record.
“After 24 years of military service, Governor Walz retired in 2005 and ran for Congress, where he served as chairman of Veterans Affairs and was a tireless advocate for our men and women in uniform — and as Vice President of the United States, he will continue to be a tireless champion for our veterans and military families,” the campaign told The Associated Press last week.
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