GOP attacks Tim Walz, who served 24 years in National Guard, over military record

By Tamara Keith,

Published August 13, 2024 at 9:12 AM EDT

Then-U.S. Rep. Timothy Walz (right) talks with a group of Soldiers during a tour at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, Jan. 11, 2008. The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.

In 2018, Tim Walz said he carried weaponry "in war" when pushing for gun control, despite never serving in combat. He also said he chose to retire from the military after 24 years, shortly before his unit deployed to Iraq, in order to focus on his run for Congress.

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Tamara Keith

Tamara Keith has been a White House correspondent for NPR since 2014 and co-hosts the NPR Politics Podcast, the top political news podcast in America. Keith has chronicled the Trump administration from day one, putting this unorthodox presidency in context for NPR listeners, from early morning tweets to executive orders and investigations. She covered the final two years of the Obama presidency, and during the 2016 presidential campaign she was assigned to cover Hillary Clinton. In 2018, Keith was elected to serve on the board of the White House Correspondents' Association.

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Quil Lawrence

Quil Lawrence is a New York-based correspondent for NPR News, covering veterans' issues nationwide. He won a Robert F. Kennedy Award for his coverage of American veterans and a Gracie Award for coverage of female combat veterans. In 2019 Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America honored Quil with its IAVA Salutes Award for Leadership in Journalism.

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Ron Elving

Ron Elving is Senior Editor and Correspondent on the Washington Desk for NPR News, where he is frequently heard as a news analyst and writes regularly for NPR.org.

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