Gov. Tim Walz’s brother, Jeff Walz, shared in a Facebook post from March 2023 that Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate is “not suited to be making decisions about your future,” and responded to comments urging him to speak with his brother and “support MAGA.”
“We’ve just become a third-world banana republic,” Jeff Walz wrote in his post at the time.
One of the commenters on the post told Jeff Walz to “have a talk” with his brother.
“Haven’t spoke to him in 8 years,” Jeff Walz claimed in a comment. “I’m opposed to all his ideology. My family wasn’t given any notice [that] he was selected and denied security the days after.”
In another comment, a person told him to “Help MAGA” and “Get on stage with President Trump and endorse him.”
“Help save this country,” the person added.
“I’ve thought hard about doing something like that,” Jeff Walz responded. “I’m torn between that and just keeping my family out of it. The stories I could tell. Not the type of character you want making decisions about your future.”
In early August, Harris’s chosen running mate, Walz, came under scrutiny and allegations of misrepresentation after it was revealed that his official biography falsely claimed he retired at a higher rank than he actually did. According to Breitbart News, Walz retired from the Minnesota Army National Guard as a sergeant (E-8), although his biography had previously suggested he retired as a command sergeant major (E-9).
Walz served in the Minnesota Army National Guard and retired at the rank of master sergeant, or an E-8. However, on his official website bio, he lists a higher rank that he served at for a short period that ultimately was rescinded, as he did not complete all the requirements to serve at that rank. However, his bio implies that he retired at the rank of command sergeant major, or an E-9.
The Harris campaign later edited Walz’s biography to remove the reference to him being a “retired command sergeant major,” instead updating it to indicate that he had achieved the rank of command sergeant major at one point.
Additionally, Walz received criticism for stating in a 2018 video released by the Harris-Walz campaign that he had carried weapons in war.
Gov. @Tim_Walz: I spent 25 years in the Army and I hunt. I’ve been voting for common sense legislation that protects the Second Amendment, but we can do background checks. We can research the impacts of gun violence. We can make sure those weapons of war, that I carried in war,… pic.twitter.com/3IVaXi2RP2
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) August 6, 2024
Walz has also faced criticism when it was revealed he broke a pledge to deploy to Iraq with his U.S. Army National Guard Unit.
An archived press release from then-congressional candidate Walz’s campaign revealed he was aware the “National Guard Public Affairs Office” had announced there would be a “possible mobilization of roughly 2,000 troops from the Minnesota National Guard.”
Walz retired from the military while his unit was deployed to Iraq. Retired Command Sergeant Major Thomas Behrends, who took over from Walz in the Minnesota National Guard, labeled him a “traitor” and “military imposter.”
Additionally, Walz’s former battalion commander criticized him, claiming that he did not complete any assignments at the rank of Command Sergeant Major or earn the title.
The governor of Minnesota is said to have three siblings: Sandy Dietrich, Jeff Walz, and Craig Walz.
According to Today, Dietrich resides in Nebraska, while Jeff Walz lives in Florida.
