Veteran-turned Congressman Eli Crane slams Tim Walz for military title claims

Congressman Eli Crane, R-Ariz., slammed Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz for claiming a title he did not earn while in the military.

"This vice presidential candidate is really bothering me," Crane said on the "Just the News, No Noise" TV show. "I've gone out of my way since I got out of the military to actually help veterans out and try not to speak ill about them just because of the brotherhood that we have. But this individual really bothers me."

Walz was described as a “retired command sergeant major” in his Harris campaign biography, which now states that he once served at the command sergeant major rank, a minor change that more accurately reflects his rank at retirement, Just The News confirmed earlier this month.

Walz currently serves as the Democratic governor of Minnesota and was in the Army National Guard for 24 years before he retired in 2005 to run for office. 

The Minnesota National Guard confirmed that Walz was demoted and did not retire as a command sergeant major like he has claimed for years, including in his official gubernatorial biography.

Recent reporting from CNN has also alleged that Walz might have lied about a past DUI. 

"I think it was CNN talking about how he lied about the DUI that he received, I think it was back in 2005," Crane said. His campaign said he hadn't been drinking when in fact, he admitted in the courtroom that he had been drinking and he blew way over the legal limit there."