Five controversies surrounding vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, from DUI to COVID fraud
Republicans will place these Tim Walz controversies under the microscope as the 2024 campaign heats up
By Chris Pandolfo Fox News
Published August 6, 2024 11:58am EDT
Vice President Kamala Harris has selected Midwestern governor, Army veteran and former football coach and teacher Tim Walz to be her 2024 running mate after a hurried, intense two-week vetting process.
Walz, 60, is a veteran politician who served in the U.S. Congress from 2007 until 2019, when he was elected governor of Minnesota, defeating Republican Jeff Johnson. He was re-elected to a second term in 2022 after fending off a challenge from Republican Scott Jensen.
Progressives have praised Walz's strong support for unions and record of accomplishments as governor, which include codifying abortion rights into the state constitution, enacting universal free school breakfasts and lunches for students, regardless of income, and making Minnesota a refuge for children seeking transgender medical procedures.
This strong progressive record and Walz's plainspoken demeanor reportedly thrilled the Harris campaign, which sought a partner who could reinforce the Democratic ticket's strength in Midwestern battleground states. But there are several controversies tied to Walz's tenure as governor that Republicans have already begun to use in their attacks on his record.
Here are a few:
1995 DUI Arrest Walz in past campaigns has sought to downplay his arrest for drunken driving in the mid-90's, but questions about his run-in with law enforcement continue to dog him. A 2022 report by Alpha News unearthed court records that cast doubt on the version of the story Walz has told on the campaign trail.
On Sept. 23, 1995, when Walz was working as a teacher in his home state of Nebraska, he was pulled over for going 96 mph in a 55-mph zone.
In comments to reporters, Walz's 2006 campaign for Congress in Minnesota's 1st District insisted he was "not drunk" and blamed a "misunderstanding" with police on "Walz's deafness," which the governor's then-campaign manager said had since been "surgically corrected."
But a state trooper's report obtained by Alpha News contradicts those claims.
"A strong odor of alcoholic beverage was detected emitting from Mr. Walz[‘s] breath and person," the report said. The trooper indicated that Walz submitted to and failed both a field sobriety test and a preliminary breath test. He was eventually taken to Chadron Hospital for a blood test before being booked in the Dawes County Jail.
Walz was initially charged with driving under the influence and speeding, but he pled guilty to a single count of reckless driving, according to Aplha News.
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/five-controversies-surrounding-vice-presidential-nominee-tim-walz-from-dui-covid-fraud
