Rep Jim Banks demands Biden-Harris admin release Tim Walz’s military records

In a letter sent to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Thursday, Banks wrote, "The American people deserve transparency into the military records of service-members who serve in public office and especially when they represent such service as credentials for public office," according to Axios. "Misrepresentation and deceit intended to mislead the public about their service erode the integrity of our military and impact all Americans who choose to serve."

Banks also questioned whether or not "falsely claiming to have carried a combat weapon in war constitutes stolen valor.” At one point at a campaign event, Walz said, speaking about gun control measures, “We can research the impacts of gun violence. We can make sure those weapons of war, that I carried in war, are only carried in war.”

Banks wrote on X, "Tim Walz misled the American people about his rank for decades. He lied about carrying weapons of war in a war. What else has he been untruthful about? Voters deserve answers. I just sent a records request to SecDef Austin. I hope he provides them quickly."

Republicans, Senator JD Vance, as well as Gold Star family members from the Afghanistan withdrawal have slammed Walz for previously claiming to be a "retired Command Sergeant" after it was revealed he was reduced a rank to "Master Sergeant" when he retired in 2005 to run for Congress. In several different instances, Walz has used the title. He has also claimed to be "a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom" which is the official label for serving on the ground in Afghanistan.

Walz never served on the ground in the warzone of Afghanistan, but instead, served in support of the operation from Italy. An Iraqi veteran confronted his staff on the matter in 2009, after Walz had used the label in campaign materials and had held a sign up at a protest saying that he was a "veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom."

The veteran said at the time, "Operation Enduring Freedom is limited to Afghanistan and the airspace directly above," the Iraqi veteran told an aide in Walz's office. "Congressman Walz is clearly claiming … to be an Enduring Freedom veteran."