Former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura has come to the defense of his successor, Governor Tim Walz (D-MN), who has faced criticism since being selected as Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate.
Walz, who served 24 years in the Army National Guard before retiring in 2005 to focus on his congressional campaign, has been targeted by Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), his opponent in the vice-presidential race, for allegedly avoiding a deployment announced shortly after his retirement.
Ventura, a former Navy SEAL, condemned these attacks as “shameful,” “despicable,” and “hogwash” during a Friday appearance on CNN. “They talk about him missing his deployment; well, maybe Mr. Vance should ask the real question: What is the National Guard doing deploying to a foreign country in a foreign war?” Ventura said, taking aim at former President George W. Bush and former Vice President Dick Cheney for initiating the Iraq War “based on lies.”
“They needed more bodies,” Ventura continued. “They couldn’t implement the draft—that would be political suicide. So what George Bush did was sign an executive order sending the National Guard into foreign deployment. The National Guard is not for foreign deployment. Their name says what they do: They guard our nation from within.”
Ventura also pointed out that he never saw E-9s, the highest rank an enlisted official can achieve, deployed, noting that they “are not going to walk the point” or “be involved in any combat whatsoever.”
“I think Vance is doing a disservice to himself and a disservice to the United States Marine Corps,” Ventura said. “I know a lot of great Marines, and Marines show respect. And Vance is not showing respect.”
Ventura, who is also a former professional wrestler, further criticized Vance for respecting Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, whom he called the “biggest draft dodger from the Vietnam War.”
“It’s despicable on [Vance’s] behalf for doing that, and I hope all veterans feel like I do about it,” Ventura stated. “You don’t criticize another veteran and how they served, whether they’re a cook or whatever they do; they all have a job to do, and if you’re going to be successful, everybody has to do their job and pitch in.”
Despite his independent affiliation and rumored spot on presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s vice-presidential short list, Ventura endorsed the Harris-Walz ticket, stating, “It’s time for a woman president—we men have screwed it up enough.”
“I want to be alive to see the first woman president of the United States of America and the first woman commander in chief, and we’ve got her right now,” said Ventura, 73.
Ventura had previously endorsed Walz’s 2022 gubernatorial reelection bid, particularly praising his stance on abortion rights and his efforts to manage the COVID-19 pandemic in Minnesota.
