Van Jones: Walz needs to admit he exaggerated military record so Dems can 'move on'
CNN senior political commentator Van Jones said that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz needed to come clean to voters about his military record as he continues to face allegations of "stolen valor" from veterans.
"He has to clean that up. He does," Jones said Thursday. "And I think it‘s actually on brand for him to say, you know what, I got a little bit full of myself and said some stuff wasn‘t true. And if my student did that, I'd want my student to correct, and I’m going to correct it."
"I think we're in a business where people think, if you‘re just honest, we all sometimes polish up a story now and there. But now you’re on a main stage and got caught on it. Just cough up the furball so we can move on from this issue," he continued.
Jones said that questions about his service would continue to follow Walz because he had risen from a relatively unknown to a "superstar" in the Democratic Party after being named as Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate earlier this month.
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"This guy's political skills are extraordinary. His ability to connect is extraordinary," Jones, a former adviser to former President Obama said. "He is a cut above the best people in our party, and he just got here. That‘s why they’re trying to muddy this guy up because this dude can go anywhere in the country and talk to anybody. So they’re trying to muddy him up."
"Just cough up the furball and move on," he reiterated.
Walz served 24 years in the Army National Guard before retiring in 2005, when he launched a successful congressional campaign and served as a member of the U.S. House representing Minnesota from 2007 until 2019.
Since Harris named Walz as her