Radio host Charlamagne Tha God on Friday minimized the accusation of stolen valor against Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz due to his allegedly false statements about his prior military service with the National Guard.
CNN correspondent Tom Foreman on Wednesday fact-checked Walz after he claimed to have carried weapons “in war” while talking about gun control legislation, stating there is “no evidence” to suggest the Minnesota governor’s comments were factual. Charlamagne, on “The Breakfast Club,” awarded Foreman “Donkey of the Day” for his fact-check, saying the priority should be gun control rather than Walz’s statements on his military service.
WATCH:
‘Who Gives A F’: Charlamagne Downplays Tim Walz Stolen Valor Accusation To Advocate For Gun Control pic.twitter.com/H11ZNPKBAo
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) August 9, 2024
“Who gives a F? … I don’t care if Tim Walz did or did not carry weapons of war in combat. You know what I care about? I care about what Tim Walz was actually bringing to the forefront, and that is military-style assault weapons should not be in the hands of civilians,” Charlamagne said. “Military-style assault weapons are designed for maximum kills in combat situations, okay? … It makes them beyond dangerous for civilians to have, okay? Dudes is pulling up with choppers, laying down 15-20 people at concerts, churches — I don’t think there’s been a setting in America that hasn’t experienced a mass shooting at this point, okay?”
The radio host blamed “frequent mass shootings” on “assault-style weapons” and claimed that the firearm type is “not necessary for self-defense or hunting.”
“But Republicans don’t want to have that conversation, because having that conversation means that they have to come up with some type of common-sense gun reform, but that’s not going to happen because the gun lobbyists like the NRA are in the pockets of most of these politicians,” Charlamagne added. “Why, CNN, are you not talking about that issue?”
Charlamagne said it’s “fine” to “fact-check” Walz, but noted that the discussion should “center” on gun control.
Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign on Tuesday promoted a video online in which Walz expressed his desire to ban weapons he “carried in war” as he championed possible gun control measures at a campaign event, Fox News reported.
“We can make sure that those weapons of war, that I carried in war, is the only place where those weapons are at,” Walz said.
Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance called Walz’s statements regarding his time in the military ‘dishonest’ during a press conference on Wednesday
“He said we shouldn’t allow weapons that I used in war to be on the streets. Well I wonder, Tim Walz, when were you ever in war? What was this weapon that you carried into war given that you abandoned your unit right before they went to Iraq and he has not spent a day in a combat zone,” Vance said. “What bothers me about Tim Walz is the stolen valor garbage.”
Featured Image Credit: Office of Governor Tim Walz & Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan
