House GOP combat vet challenges CNN anchor to interview Walz ‘rather than defending’ him

Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., told CNN host Brianna Keilar she should be questioning Gov. Tim Walz's, D-Minn., claims about his military record "rather than defending" him Wednesday. 

The "CNN News Central" host questioned Waltz Wednesday about a letter he and 50 Republican veterans in Congress penned to the Democratic vice presidential candidate about his "egregious misrepresentations."

Keilar accused the Florida representative of attacking Walz’s military service, but he disagreed with the characterization and said, "I am attacking the lies about his service."

She played a clip of veteran Joe Eustice who defended Walz and asked the congressman, "I mean that man hates Tim Walz’s politics, despises them, is not going to vote for him. But he served with him and he knows his service. So why are you and other Republicans doing this?"

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Waltz brought up the Minnesota governor repeatedly referring to himself as a retired command sergeant major despite not completing the requirements to earn the title.

"That may sound like semantics to some, but to veterans and particularly enlisted veterans, that matters. It’s a lie. It’s a misrepresentation and exaggeration, and he should account for that. I can tell you as —" Waltz said before being interrupted. 

"It’s not stolen — it’s not stolen valor," Keilar insisted. "I just want to be clear, and the letter, I’m reading this, I’m reading this, Mike, and quote ‘abandoning the men and women under your leadership, just as they were getting ready to deploy, was certainly not honorable either.’ That is an attack on his service."

"That is an attack on the decision to not go to combat with his unit as a leader," Waltz asserted.

Keilar repeatedly brought up Eustice as a counter to Waltz's arguments, despite several other veterans who'd served with the Minnesota governor coming out to criticize him.

As Keilar continued to badger Waltz about his letter, the GOP vet called on her to question Walz instead.

"Brianna, you know, rather than defending these decisions, I wish you would interview him and ask him those questions, or that he would at least sit down and answer for these inconsistencies," Waltz said.

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Keilar conceded Walz needed to answer questions regarding his military record but continued to push back against Waltz’s attacks.

"I don’t know if it’s worth burning down 24 years of service," Keilar said.

"I wish he would sit down instead of me or JD Vance and answer those questions. The American people deserve it. The veterans' community certainly deserve it," Waltz said.

Keilar came under fire earlier this month after suggesting Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance had exaggerated his own military record while attacking Walz.

Keilar said Vance was a combat correspondent, "But when you dig a little deeper into that, he was a public affairs specialist, someone who did not see combat, which certainly the title ‘combat correspondent' kind of gives you a different impression. So he may be the imperfect messenger on that."

She later appeared to walk back her comment, acknowledging that Vance "served honorably" while still defending Walz.

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"In a country where so few shoulder the burden, military service should not be a liability, it should be an asset," Keilar said. "And despite our recent years as a country at war, many service members haven't seen combat. That doesn't make them or their service less admirable, or less necessary. Nor does retiring from the National Guard after 24 years. These kinds of attacks from the left or the right diminish the service of so many others who have served honorably, who sacrifice time away from family, who put themselves in harm's way because the military is made largely of JD Vances and Tim Walzs."