Footage recently resurfaced from 2009 when then-congressman Tim Walz’s office was confronted with accusations of stolen valor.  After Vice President Kamala Harris selected the Minnesota governor as her running mate, Walz’s military record has faced intense scrutiny as voters speculate over the legitimacy of his record.

Video from the late 2000s shows veteran constituents of Walz’s walking into his office, demanding to speak with his team about the evidence they had uncovered, suggesting that the senator had misrepresented his service in the United States military, an insult to those who saw live combat in the Middle East in recent decades.

One man walked in and presented a picture of Walz, which he claimed to depict the Minnesota Democrat falsely insinuating that he was a war veteran in Operation Enduring Freedom.  Furthermore, the individual highlighted parts of Walz’s bio that allegedly portrayed his military service incorrectly.  During the confrontation, it was pointed out that Walz never saw combat in Afghanistan, which the veteran argued Walz had led people to believe.

First, the veterans raised issues with a picture of Walz holding a sign that said, “Enduring Freedom Veterans for…” suggesting he was a part of  military operation in Afghanistan.  Secondly, they criticized the language in the biography on his website, which said Walz had been “mobilized within battalion in support of Operation Enduring Freedom without any other details.”

“My concern, other than this picture, is that the Congressman’s website, his official biography, says simply that he was mobilized within battalion in support of Operation Enduring Freedom without any other details. Don’t you think it’s reasonable people might assume that he served in Afghanistan?” he asked at one point during the interrogation.

The concerned veteran then claimed that Congressman Walz could be in violation of the Stolen Valor Act, pointing out the potential imprisonment that can come with violations. “This right here under current US law, this could get the Congressman problem with going to jail in violation of 2006 Stolen Valor Act, which says it is a crime, a federal crime, to portray yourself in writing orderly as having received an award or decoration authorized by Congress that you didn’t receive,” they said.

Continuing he said, “Congressman Walz is clearly claiming, in the sign, in this, in this picture with the sign, to be an enduring freedom veteran. He is. Clearly Nobody disputes the fact that he is not an Afghanistan or Enduring Freedom veteran. So this represents a fairly serious issue.”

One user on social media wrote, “In case you missed it, here is video of Tim Walz being confronted in 2009 for stolen valor. It would be a shame if this got shared everywhere.”  Another person commented, “They amended the Stolen Valor Act in 2013 , allowing for this sort of Valor theft to be legal. Now, it is only a problem if you claim or display receipt of certain awards. No idea what the statute of limitations is on this. Shameful any way you spin it though.”

Watch the confrontation below:

In case you missed it, here is video of Tim Walz being confronted in 2009 for stolen valor.

It would be a shame if this got shared everywhere. pic.twitter.com/sShkl6RjIa

— TaraBull (@TaraBull808) August 8, 2024