Democrat vice-presidential candidate and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is facing backlash for allegedly fabricating key details of his background, including falsely claiming ties to a Harvard University teaching program in China and inflating his military record. The revelations have sparked widespread criticism, with many accusing Walz of compulsively lying about his achievements.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the Democrat vice-presidential candidate, is under fire for allegedly exaggerating his background, falsely implying connections to Harvard University in a teaching program in China, according to a recent report from the Washington Free Beacon.
The report revealed discrepancies in Walz's past claims, including a statement that he had been “named the Outstanding Young Nebraskan by the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce,” a title he never received. Furthermore, Walz suggested that Harvard University had selected him for a teaching opportunity in China, through a program called WorldTeach. While the program was founded by Harvard graduates in 1986, it was never officially part of the university, though it did receive some funding from Harvard’s Phillips Brooks House Association, a student-run service group. Walz’s 2006 campaign website for Congress contained these claims, and similar wording appeared in his congressional and 2018 biographies.
The inaccuracies don’t stop there. Walz previously made false claims about his personal life and military service, stating that his children were conceived through in vitro fertilization (IVF) and that he had carried “weapons of war” in combat. He also misrepresented his military rank, claiming to have retired as a “command sergeant major,” when he had actually retired as a Master Sergeant.
In a 2006 archived version of his campaign biography, Walz claimed that “Harvard University offered him an opportunity to gain a new perspective on global education by teaching in the People’s Republic of China.” He further asserted that he was part of one of the first U.S. government-sanctioned groups to teach in Chinese high schools from 1989-1990. However, the teaching program, WorldTeach, while founded by Harvard graduates and briefly funded by Harvard’s Phillips Brooks House, was never officially part of Harvard.
WorldTeach began as a student-run organization and grew into an independent nonprofit with sponsorship from the Center for International Development at Harvard. Though it provided teaching opportunities abroad, it was never a Harvard University program as Walz’s biographies seemed to suggest.
The revelations of these fabrications sparked a strong reaction on social media. Donald Trump Jr. blasted Walz, tweeting, “WTF!?? Another lie from Stolen Valor @Tim_Walz. This loser claimed for decades that he was selected to be part of a Harvard University teaching program… Only problem is that he made it up!!!” Others echoed this sentiment, with one user remarking, “If I had a nickel for every lie this guy tells, I’d single-handedly pay off the United States debt.” Breitbart News Washington Bureau Chief Matthew Boyle added, “Tim Walz is the textbook definition of a pathological liar. He doesn’t need to lie about these things – he just does so, compulsively.”
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