First, it was Kamala Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who was accused of “being untruthful” about his military record. Now it’s Maryland Governor Wes Moore, who recently delivered a speech at the DNC and is considered a rising star in his party, and whose “guns” (biceps) Joe Biden admires.
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You see, Moore had been introduced as a Bronze Star recipient by television interviewers in 2008 and 2010 and neither he nor his aides corrected them—despite the fact that he did not receive the award. As controversies go, it didn’t ruin his career, and he won the gubernatorial election in 2022. For years he’s insisted that he himself never claimed he received the Bronze Star.
Except now it turns out that he did:
But at least once, Mr. Moore, now the state’s Democratic governor, did say he had received the award.
He made the claim on an application for a prestigious White House fellowship in 2006, when he was 27 years old, according to a copy of the document that was obtained this week by The New York Times as part of a Freedom of Information Act request.
“For my work,” he wrote, “the 82nd Airb orne Division have awarded me the Bronze Star Medal and the Combat Action Badge.”
However, when Mr. Moore submitted the application in January 2006, he had not been awarded either the Bronze Star or the Combat Action Badge. He was awarded the badge in May 2006 for an episode the previous December, but there is no record showing that he ever received a Bronze Star, an Army spokeswoman said.
Oops.
What’s with these Democrat governors?
Slippery Slidey Tim Walz Blames Stolen Valor Scandal on… Bad Grammar
Have They No Shame: Another Disgusting Tim Walz ‘Stolen Valor’ Moment at DNC
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An Open Letter From a Combat Veteran to Governor Tim Walz
It was all just “an honest mistake,” Moore explained. His commanding officer told him that he should put it on the application because the paperwork was in process, and he would soon receive the commendations. That’s all well and good—but did he ever go back and correct the record when he did not in fact receive the Bronze Star? No.
As even the New York Times noted, “As long as the U.S. military has bestowed awards, it has been considered a serious breach of protocol to claim an honor that has not been given.”
Moore issued a statement Thursday:
He acknowledges the error right at the beginning:
…I sincerely wish I had gone back to correct the note on my application. It was an honest mistake, and I regret not making that correction.
But then he heads down the road already treaded by Walz, claiming that people are attacking his military service.
Over the last few weeks, our country has grown used to seeing what it looks like when a veteran’s integrity is attacked for political gain. But those who seek to cast doubt on our records misunderstand something fundamental about true patriots, who have put on the flag of our country and put everything on the line to be called Americans: We don’t get shaken. We put our heads down, and we do the work. And that is what I will continue to do.
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The truth is no one’s attacking his service to the country—in fact, I applaud and honor it, as we all should. However, in the case of both Walz and Moore, what is worthy of criticism is their level of honesty—or lack thereof. As the Times pointed out, it’s no small matter to misrepresent your military record. Claiming it was just a clerical error is not going to mollify the many critics who contend that this episode shows a clear pattern of dishonesty on the part of the governor.