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Leland Vittert Upends Walz Character Witness With Walz’s Own Words
With the liberal media taking every advantage to praise the new Democratic ticket, accusations against the new vice presidential pick, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, have been discarded as false or swept under the rug altogether. Yet, on Wednesday, NewsNation host Leland Vittert interviewed a member of the National Guard put forward by the Harris/Walz campaign and upended their defense with Walz’s own misleading words about his service. Ultimately getting the campaign’s own expert to denounce what Walz said.
Retired Army National Guard Sergeant Major Joseph Eustice served with Waltz in the Minnesota National Guard for many years, up until his sudden retirement, nearly two months before the unit got the order they’d be getting deployed to Iraq.
Eustice had defended Walz claiming, “The Governor fulfilled his duty. He was a great soldier when he chose to leave he had every right to leave.” He claimed that there were only “rumors” of potential deployment were not substantial and his leaving.
A press release found on Walz’ congressional website from 2005 states that the candidate knew as of March 17th of that year that there would be a possible mobilization of nearly 2,000 members of the Minnesota National Guard. These were more than rumors and as a Command Sergeant Major, Tim Walz would have been very aware of an imminent deployment.
Vittert then questioned Eustice on the controversial video of Walz claiming to have seen combat, a video which the Sergeant Major had not seen previous to his endorsement of the Harris/Walz ticket:
VITTERT: The second question here is I think a little bit more poignant, which is that oftentimes and there was that video, actually, that the Kamala Harris campaign put out. Where he sure makes it sound like he was in combat, which is something that he never was in. And there's these accusations. Now the line is stolen valor. There are men who were in combat. There were men who didn't come home. There were men who were wounded. To say you were there when you weren’t, it just isn't right. How do you come down on that?
EUSTICE: Well, I hadn't heard that he had said that until today. Now., from my perspective, you shouldn’t say when you don't, you shouldn’t say you used weapons in war when you did not. I do know that our politicians do tend to say things that get embellished or they embellish themselves. And you know I think it is wrong to say you've done something that you didn't do. So if he said that and your video shows that I would say that’s very mischaracterization of what took place.
“You know, I guess I don't think that you should portray yourself in a light that makes you something you weren't. And if that's what he's done. I guess I would say he shouldn’t have – he shouldn’t have said it. He shouldn’t keep saying it. An untruth shouldn’t be kept going, especially when it has to do with serving our country,” Eustice added.
It is no shock that with a media so bent on furthering the agenda of the Democratic Party, integrity in journalism has been thrown to the wayside as uninformed witnesses testify against major accusations.
The transcripts are below. Click "expand" to read:
News Nation’s On Balance
8/7/2024
07:20:32 PM EST
LELAND VITTERT: Much of the Tim Walz story revolves around this time in which the National Guard. He talks about, as you can see. It's true. But Walz now tells a very different story about his time in the Guard. Previously over and over. He made it appear he served in combat when he did not.
[Cuts to video]
TIM WALZ: I spent 25 years in the army and I hunt. And I gave the money back and I'll tell you what I have been doing. I've been voting for common sense legislation that protects the Second Amendment, but we can do background checks. We can do CDC research. We can make sure we don't have reciprocal carrying among states and we can make sure that those weapons of war that I carried in war is the only place where those weapons are at.
[Cuts back to live]
VITTERT: “That I carried in war.” But Walz never went to war, not to Afghanistan and not to Iraq. In fact, he retired so he can run for Congress just months before his unit deployed to Iraq. He didn't go to war. Here's J.D. Vance today.
[Cuts to video]
J.D. VANCE: Well you know what really bothers me about Tim Walz, as a Marine who served his country in uniform. When the United States Marine Corps, when the United States of America asked me to go to Iraq to serve my country, I did it. I did what they asked me to do. And I did honorably and I'm very proud of that service. When Tim Walz was asked by his country to go to Iraq, you know, he did. He dropped out of the Army and allowed his unit to go without him, a fact that he's been criticized for aggressively by a lot of the people served with.
[Cuts back to live]
VITTERT: All right. Sergeant Major Joseph Eustice served with Walz. In fact, the Harris campaign put out a statement by him. “Joseph Eustice, 32 year veteran of the Guard who led the same battalion as Walz said, ‘The Governor fulfilled his duty. He was a great soldier when he chose to leave he had every right to leave.’”
It's good to see you, sir. Thank you for being with us Sergeant Major. It seems to me is there's two issues here. One is, did Walz retire, knowing or having an idea that if you didn't retire and run for Congress at that moment, he was going to go to Iraq. Did you all know that you're probably going to Iraq when he puts in his papers.
JOSEPH EUSTICE: As far as I know, he did not know the timeline is that he retired in May. And at that time, there were all kinds of rumors about us deploying. Cause that’s what happens there’s rumors that you're going to deploy, you’re going to go somewhere or whatever. In May, when he decided to retire, we have no, other than rumors, there was no “NOS,” which is the notice of deployment. Which that didn't come until July of that year. And then there’s - - I don't remember the name of the 3rd thing that came in August, that told us where we're going.
VITTERT: Fair enough, okay.
EUSTICE: I did talk to him, in prior to his decision to retire. And he told me he was going to become a congressman. Which I didn’t think that is a great idea. But, he said –
VITTERT: Why didn’t you think it was a great idea?
EUSTICE: I think most of our politicians are in it for the wrong reasons and I didn't think he would be a very good politician. His views matched mine quite a bit and I know I wouldn’t be a good politician. I'm not politically correct. I say some things sometimes to without, always thinking them completely through. So he decided, he thought he could win. And I said, “Oh, well. I guess good luck.” I - -
VITTERT: Okay fair enough he retired, you cleared this part up that you didn’t know - - there were rumors. Lord knows I work in a newsroom, there's a lot of rumors. So I understand that.
The second question here is I think a little bit more poignant, which is that oftentimes and there was that video, actually, that the Kamala Harris campaign put out. Where he sure makes it sound like he was in combat, which is something that he never was in. And there's these accusations. Now the line is stolen valor. There are men who were in combat. There were men who didn't come home. There were men who were wounded. To say you were there when you weren’t, it just isn't right. How do you come down on that?
EUSTICE: Well, I hadn't heard that he had said that until today. Now, from my perspective, you shouldn’t say went it you didn't, you shouldn’t say you used weapons in war when you did not. I do know that our politicians do tend to say things that get embellished – or they embellish themselves. And you know I think it is wrong to say you've done something that you didn't do. So, if he said that and your video shows that, I would say that’s very mischaracterization of what took place.
VITTERT: You know, you always have to be worried. And we always are when we see videos about whether it’s real these days, of course, or whether it is taken out of context or anything like that. It's telling that it was put out by the Kamala Harris campaign. I think because of his stance on gun control, right? He was using - -
EUSTICE: Yes!
VITTERT: - - what his experience of war to justify gun control. This has happened before right, 20 years ago they were Swift Vote Veterans for Truth. That was about John Kerry who had talked about getting a purple heart. Here's one of their ads that perhaps ended Kerry's presidential ambitions. Take a listen.
[Swift Boat Veterans Campaign Ad]
VITTERT: Alright Sergeant Major is saying that you were in combat in the way that Tim Walz did as a politician. Is that the equivalent to what John Kerry did and is it disqualifying, maybe not for Governor, but for Vice President?
EUSTICE: Well, I that's a tough question
VITTERT: That's what they pay me to do.
EUSTICE: I yeah, I'm sure you get paid well, too.
You know, I guess I don't think that you should portray yourself in a light that makes you something you weren't. And if that's what he's done. I guess I would say he shouldn’t have – he shouldn’t have said it. He shouldn’t keep saying it. An untruth shouldn’t be kept going, especially when it has to do with serving our country.
VITTERT: Well, well said by somebody who served it for an awfully, awfully long time. Sergeant Major, thank you. We appreciate hearing from you. It's notable that Tim Walz has significantly changed how he talks about his time in the National Guard. Now that there's so much more scrutiny. It's good to see you, thank you.
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