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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/five-controversies-surrounding-vice-presidential-nominee-tim-walz-from-dui-covid-fraud
Vice President Kamala Harris
has selected Midwestern governor, Army veteran and former football
coach and teacher Tim Walz to be her 2024 running mate after a hurried,
intense two-week vetting process.
Walz, 60, is a
veteran politician who served in the U.S. Congress from 2007 until
2019, when he was elected governor of Minnesota, defeating Republican
Jeff Johnson. He was re-elected to a second term in 2022 after fending
off a challenge from Republican Scott Jensen.
Progressives have
praised Walz's strong support for unions and record of accomplishments
as governor, which include codifying abortion rights into the state
constitution, enacting universal free school breakfasts and lunches for
students, regardless of income, and making Minnesota a refuge for
children seeking transgender medical procedures.
This
strong progressive record and Walz's plainspoken demeanor reportedly
thrilled the Harris campaign, which sought a partner who could reinforce
the Democratic ticket's strength in Midwestern battleground states. But
there are several controversies tied to Walz's tenure as governor that
Republicans have already begun to use in their attacks on his record.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Vice President Kamala Harris (Getty Images)
Here are a few:
1995 DUI Arrest
Walz
in past campaigns has sought to downplay his arrest for drunken driving
in the mid-90's, but questions about his run-in with law enforcement
continue to dog him. A 2022 report by Alpha News unearthed court records that cast doubt on the version of the story Walz has told on the campaign trail.
On
Sept. 23, 1995, when Walz was working as a teacher in his home state of
Nebraska, he was pulled over for going 96 mph in a 55-mph zone.
In
comments to reporters, Walz's 2006 campaign for Congress in Minnesota's
1st District insisted he was "not drunk" and blamed a
"misunderstanding" with police on "Walz's deafness," which the
governor's then-campaign manager said had since been "surgically
corrected."
But a state trooper's report obtained by Alpha News contradicts those claims.
"A
strong odor of alcoholic beverage was detected emitting from Mr.
Walz[‘s] breath and person," the report said. The trooper indicated that
Walz submitted to and failed both a field sobriety test and a
preliminary breath test. He was eventually taken to Chadron Hospital for
a blood test before being booked in the Dawes County Jail.
Walz
was initially charged with driving under the influence and speeding, but
he pled guilty to a single count of reckless driving, according to
Aplha News.
MOST AMERICANS HAVE NEVER HEARD OF TIM WALZ, HARRIS' VP PICK
A
protester stands next to a burning car while holding a sign in support
of the Black Lives Matter movement on May 28, 2020, during the third day
of protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. (Anadolu Agency/Getty Contributor)
Black Lives Matter Riots
Walz's
critics say his handling of the Minneapolis riots after the 2020
killing of George Floyd was a failure and low point of his first term as
governor.
"[H]e's been a disaster for Minnesota and is by far the
most partisan governor that I can remember having," Minnesota GOP
Chairman David Hann told Fox News Digital. "Going back to 2020,
certainly – he did nothing to try to stop the riots going on in
Minneapolis. I think he was fearful of alienating his ‘progressive’
base, who were supporting the riots. Kamala Harris was raising money for
the rioters."
Walz deployed the National Guard to stop the
violence, which included the torching of a police station. But GOP
lawmakers have said both the governor and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey
were too slow to act.
Republican state Senate Majority Leader
Paul Gazelka accused Walz of a slow response to the riots, which left
businesses in downtown Minneapolis in ruins.
"I
called the White House after [four] days of unbridled rioting with the
Governor frozen on what to do," Gazelka wrote on X on July 28. "I know
that Gov[.] Walz and Pres[ident] Trump talked. I know Walz finally
brought the Guard out in full for the next night. But Walz was [three]
days too late. Pressure may have made him move."
Hann similarly
said Walz "waited for three days before he could bring himself to ask
for the National Guard to be deployed." He also pointed to the "defund"
police movement's roots in Minnesota following Floyd's murder and subsequent rioting in the Twin Cities.
As
a result of the delayed action, hundreds of businesses across
Minneapolis and St. Paul were devastated by the destruction and had to
ask their local government for help recovering – on top of what they
lost during pandemic-related closures.
WALZ'S HANDLING OF BLM RIOTS, STRICT COVID RULES UNDER MICROSCOPE AFTER HARRIS VP PICK
Minnesota
Gov. Tim Walz speaks about funding for the I-535 Blatnik Bridge at
Earth Rider Brewery on Jan. 25, 2024, in Superior, Wisconsin. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
COVID-19 Lockdowns
In
his first term as governor, Walz oversaw Minnesota's response to the
COVID-19 pandemic. Like other Democratic leaders, he favored
heavy-handed pandemic restrictions, including lockdowns and mask
mandates.
The Upper Midwest Law Center unsuccessfully challenged
Walz's 2020 indoor mask mandate on constitutional grounds, but an
appellate court sided with Walz.
Walz also set up a hotline to report residents who violated COVID-19 mandates, as FOX 9 Minneapolis reported at the time.
Gazelka asked Walz to "please take [the] Hotline down" in a post after it was established, calling the move "unnecessary."
"We
can all show a bit of kindness to our neighbors as we manage our times
and needs differently in the stay at home efforts," the state senator
said at the time.
BAG OF CASH DOESN'T STOP JURORS FROM CONVICTING 5 DEFENDANTS IN $40 MILLION FOOD FRAUD SCHEME
Federal
prosecutors charged 70 people with defrauding federal food programs
that funded meals for kids during the pandemic out of $250 million on
Walz’s watch. (U.S. Attorney's Office for Minnesota via AP)
Pandemic Relief Fraud Investigation
In
addition to complaints over Walz's pandemic-era restrictions,
Republicans have blamed the governor for lax oversight of pandemic
programs that cost millions of taxpayer dollars.
Federal
prosecutors charged 70 people with defrauding federal food programs that
funded meals for kids during the pandemic out of $250 million on Walz’s
watch. Known as the Feeding Our Future scandal, it’s one of the
country’s largest pandemic aid fraud cases. The Office of the
Legislative Auditor, a nonpartisan watchdog, delivered a scathing report
in June that said Walz’s Department of Education "failed to act on
warning signs," did not effectively exercise its authority and was
ill-prepared to respond.
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Gov. Tim Walz speaks before President Biden at Dutch Creek Farms, Nov. 1, 2023, in Northfield, Minnesota. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Interference in Police Shooting Case
Walz
came under fire from Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty earlier
this year for his comments on a police shooting case handled by her
office.
Moriarty
in June dropped the case against Minnesota State Trooper Ryan
Londregan, who was accused in the fatal shooting of Black motorist Ricky
Cobb II. In a press conference announcing her decision, she made
remarks against Walz, saying he had been "very active in inserting
himself into this case" and was conflicted since he controls the
Minnesota State Patrol, FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul reported.
"Have
you ever seen this governor intervene in any case involving a defendant
in his entire tenure?" Moriarty said on June 3. "Why is it appropriate
for a governor, who has never picked up the phone to call me, who is not
a lawyer, who does not understand the nuances of this case, to talk
about it publicly? To center Mr. Londregan as being the victim in this
case. Why has that been appropriate? Why hasn’t that been called out?"
Walz
later told reporters that had Moriarty not dropped the charges against
Londregan, he would have used his executive authority to remove her from
the case.
"It was my hope that the county attorney would get to
this position… At some point, if this decision had not been made, yes we
would have done that," Walz said.
The Hennepin County Attorney's Office denied that rumors of Walz's intention to remove the case affected Moriarty's decision.
Fox News Digital's Audrey Conklin and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Chris Pandolfo is a writer for Fox News Digital. Send tips to chris.pandolfo@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @ChrisCPandolfo.
