After Los Angeles Lakers star Lebron James — who has a long-standing history of flopping on the floor to draw unwarranted fouls from the opposition — flopped one time too many in Wednesday’s playoff game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, as a Minnesota combat veteran and former state representative who had both of his legs blown off in Iraq offered a deathless response on X.
“I had less of a reaction when my legs were blown off,” John Kriesel, who now serves as director of veteran services for Anoka County, reacted. Kriesel was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star medal after serving in Iraq; in 2006, he was injured by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) that blew up. He is also the author of the autobiography Still Standing.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I had less of a reaction when my legs were blown off. <a href="https://t.co/2gWk1EtRzH">https://t.co/2gWk1EtRzH</a>
— John Kriesel (@johnkriesel) <a href="https://twitter.com/johnkriesel/status/1917976625112584332?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The Timberwolves won the game 103-96, eliminating the Lakers from the playoffs.
There were multiple hilarious responses to Kriesel’s post, including:
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A player for the Dallas Stars hockey team died on the bench (flatlined for 2 minutes), was resuscitated in the hallway, and asked to go back into the game.<a href="https://t.co/XfSdKgHlo3">https://t.co/XfSdKgHlo3</a>
— Slim Tidings (@drfeedbacker) <a href="https://twitter.com/drfeedbacker/status/1918096265818083701?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Falls can be deadly for elderly men like LeBron. He could break a hip, be hospitalized and contract staphylococcal infection.
— Greg Brown (@the_Greglodon) <a href="https://twitter.com/the_Greglodon/status/1918109860270653733?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
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He is a DIVA &#8211;his name should never be in the same sentence as MJ, Bird or Barkley &#8211;seriously <a href="https://t.co/xBKPVbkSEo">pic.twitter.com/xBKPVbkSEo</a>
— AJH (@UnamedLocation) <a href="https://twitter.com/UnamedLocation/status/1918082924622082507?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
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“Poor LeBron, all 6’9, 250 pounds of him, ran into Minnesota’s Donte Divincenzo, 6’4, 203 pounds, during Wednesday’s Lakers playoff exit and…couldn’t get up.&#8221;
&#8220;Divincenzo, 47 pounds lighter, had no such problem,” Outkick <a href="https://www.outkick.com/sports/lebron-james-has-hall-fame-worthy-flop-sad-lakers-playoff-exit">mocked</a>. “LeBron was on the ground for more than 20 seconds. Men have been hit by prime Mike Tyson and stayed on the canvas for less time than LeBron sprawled himself out on the hardwood.”
Earlier in the series, James got caught after a flop, taking a surreptitious look, apparently to see if the refs had called a foul.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
LeBron think he slick 🤣 
(h/t bonbaguy23/TT) <a href="https://t.co/10OAMCcEJS">pic.twitter.com/10OAMCcEJS</a>
— Overtime (@overtime) <a href="https://twitter.com/overtime/status/1915127592258310587?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
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“James was hit in the face by Timberwolves forward Julius Randle, 30, in the fourth quarter of Game 2 in Los Angeles&#8217; first-round playoff series, and stayed on the floor for several minutes as referees discussed the call,” People Magazine <a href="https://people.com/lebron-james-caught-flopping-fans-think-lakers-playoff-win-11721511">reported</a>.
In a loss to the Boston Celtics during the regular season, James flopped again. Sports Illustrated wrote that he “may have added a lamentable lowlight to his highlight reel with a brutal flop late in the game.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Don’t ever compare this man to Jordan again <a href="https://t.co/Il9ccLztkt">pic.twitter.com/Il9ccLztkt</a>
— Samantha (@SN1onX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SN1onX/status/1898585868106870808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2025</a></blockquote>
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There have even been videos featuring James’ legendary flopping habits:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Lebron FLOPS from Level 1 to 100" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/N7cZn9bgATE?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<blockquote class="tiktok-embed" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@instabucketz/video/7337784992405277994" data-video-id="7337784992405277994" data-embed-from="oembed" style="max-width:605px; min-width:325px;">
<section> <a target="_blank" title="@instabucketz" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@instabucketz?refer=embed">@instabucketz</a> 
1 minute of LeBron James flopping 😂 Le🩴 <a title="instabucketz" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/instabucketz?refer=embed">#instabucketz</a> <a title="basketball" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/basketball?refer=embed">#basketball</a> <a title="basketball" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/basketball?refer=embed">#basketball</a> 
 <a target="_blank" title="♬ original sound - Instabucketz" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-7337785051411647274?refer=embed">♬ original sound &#8211; Instabucketz</a> </section>
</blockquote>
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Minnesota Timberwolves v Los Angeles Lakers – Game Five

LeBron Flops One Time Too Many, Provoking Deathless Response From Iraq Combat Vet

Celebrities

Iraq

LeBron James

Los Angeles Lakers

Minnesota

U.S.

Veterans

President Donald Trump announced Friday night that the United States had killed the fugitive leader of ISIS after he was &#8220;relentlessly&#8221; pursued.
“Today the fugitive leader of ISIS in Iraq was killed. He was relentlessly hunted down by our intrepid warfighters,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “His miserable life was terminated, along with another member of ISIS, in coordination with the Iraqi Government and the Kurdish Regional Government. PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH!”
Shortly after Trump’s post, U.S. Central Command shared video of the airstrike that took out Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rifai, also known as Abu Khadijah, and a second ISIS operative. Abu Khadijah was the chief of global operations and the delegated committee emir for ISIS and officially the second-in-command for the Islamic terrorist organization.
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CENTCOM Forces Kill ISIS Chief of Global Operations Who Also Served as ISIS #2
On March 13, U.S. Central Command forces, in cooperation with Iraqi Intelligence and Security Forces, conducted a precision airstrike in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, that killed the Global ISIS #2 leader,… <a href="https://t.co/rWeEoUY7Lw">pic.twitter.com/rWeEoUY7Lw</a>
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) <a href="https://twitter.com/CENTCOM/status/1900737395915440260?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
According to CENTCOM, the precision airstrike was conducted in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, in conjunction with Iraqi intelligence and security forces. CENTCOM added that Abu Khadijah “maintained responsibility for operations, logistics, and planning conducted by ISIS globally, and directs a significant portion of finance for the group’s global organization.”
Both American and Iraqi forces moved to the strike site and discovered two ISIS terrorists dead with undetonated suicide vests and weapons, U.S. officials said. CENTCOM noted that they confirmed Abu Khadijah was dead after matching DNA from the site to DNA they obtained after he “narrowly escaped” an earlier raid.
“Abu Khadijah was one of the most important ISIS members in the entire global ISIS organization. We will continue to kill terrorists and dismantle their organizations that threaten our homeland and U.S., allied and partner personnel in the region and beyond,” said United States Central Command General Michael Erik Kurilla.
Trump administration officials celebrated the airstrike, calling it a win for safety.
“Big news. The world is a safer place with Donald Trump as America’s Commander in Chief,” said Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
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Big news.
The world is a safer place with Donald Trump as America’s Commander in Chief. <a href="https://t.co/zyfX2s3LmX">pic.twitter.com/zyfX2s3LmX</a>
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) <a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/1900734529855230067?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
“Well done<a href="https://x.com/CENTCOM"> @CENTCOM</a>. Always on target,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on X.
&nbsp;
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Well done <a href="https://twitter.com/CENTCOM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CENTCOM</a>. Always on target. <a href="https://t.co/6IsJigajSw">https://t.co/6IsJigajSw</a>
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteHegseth/status/1900748865092936117?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2025</a></blockquote>

US-POLITICS-TRUMP

‘His Miserable Life Was Terminated’: Trump Announces Top ISIS Leader Dead After U.S. Strike

Donald Trump

ISIS

Radical Islamic Terror

Terrorism

U.S. Military

World

A joint U.S.-Iraqi military operation killed multiple ISIS terrorists in a newly revealed strike on the Islamic terrorist group late last week.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement that the operation was led by Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) but enabled by U.S. forces.
The strike was carried out &#8220;in the vicinity [of] Kirkuk, Iraq, killing five ISIS operatives,&#8221; CENTCOM said.
&#8220;An initial post-strike clearance found multiple explosive suicide belts and other materials,&#8221; the statement said. &#8220;The ISF-led operation is part of the ongoing Defeat-ISIS campaign to disrupt and degrade ISIS&#8217; capabilities, dismantle their attack networks, and ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS. Coalition Joint Task Force &#8211; Operation Inherent Resolve (CTF-OIR) enabled ISF during the operation by providing technical support and intelligence.&#8221;
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Five ISIS Operatives Killed in Iraqi Precision Airstrike, Enabled by CENTCOM Forces
On 31 Jan., Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), enabled by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces, conducted precision airstrikes in the vicinity Kirkuk, Iraq, killing five ISIS operatives.
An initial… <a href="https://t.co/9Et3RRnLRu">pic.twitter.com/9Et3RRnLRu</a>
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) <a href="https://twitter.com/CENTCOM/status/1886735178799919389?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 4, 2025</a></blockquote>
The strike came just hours before a strike authorized by President Donald Trump killed multiple ISIS terrorists in Africa on Saturday.
“This morning I ordered precision Military air strikes on the Senior ISIS Attack Planner and other terrorists he recruited and led in Somalia,” Trump said in a statement. “These killers, who we found hiding in caves, threatened the United States and our Allies.”
“The strikes destroyed the caves they live in, and killed many terrorists without, in any way, harming civilians,” Trump continued. “Our Military has targeted this ISIS Attack Planner for years, but Biden and his cronies wouldn’t act quickly enough to get the job done. I did!”
“The message to ISIS and all others who would attack Americans is that ‘WE WILL FIND YOU, AND WE WILL KILL YOU!&#8217;” Trump concluded.
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<a href="https://t.co/DB2rvH3vzr">https://t.co/DB2rvH3vzr</a> <a href="https://t.co/PK1V8YklhY">pic.twitter.com/PK1V8YklhY</a>
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1886453721871319097?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2025</a></blockquote>

USAF Tests Weapons In Nevada Desert

Joint U.S.-Iraqi Operation Kills Multiple ISIS Terrorists In New Strike

The Biden administration reportedly ignored oil smuggling that netted Iran an estimated one billion dollars annually — despite being well-informed on the operation.
A group of international Intelligence agencies compiled a 45-page report in April outlining a billion-dollar Iranian oil smuggling operation and shared the information with officials from the State and Treasury departments as well as members of the U.S. intelligence community, according to <a href="https://freebeacon.com/biden-harris-administration/how-the-biden-admin-allowed-iran-to-rake-in-illicit-oil-cash-amid-tehrans-terror-spree/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Washington Free Beacon</a>.
U.S. officials took multiple briefings on the report that showed Iran earning at least $1 billion annually from selling oil through Iraqi intermediaries. The Biden administration did not act on the information and gave Iran a “free pass” to sell its fuel in violation of U.S. sanctions, one former U.S. official told the Free Beacon.
“Despite Iran’s growing and dominant role in Iraq, the Biden administration has refused to sanction or meaningfully confront their role in an effort to protect the current Iraqi prime minister, Sudani, and to portray Iraq as a constructive regional partner,” one former U.S. official said.
“This approach deliberately ignores the reality that Iran and its proxies effectively control Iraq’s institutions, including the industrial fuel smuggling and crude commingling. It’s as if the Biden administration wants to hide the fact that Iraq remains Iran’s most important client state,” the official added.
Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/fuel-oil-smuggling-network-rakes-1-billion-iran-its-proxies-2024-12-03/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> early last month that the oil smuggling scheme netted Iran at least $1 billion a year since 2022 when Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani took office. Some estimates showed Iran earning as much as $3 billion annually.
A State Department official at the time said that U.S. officials had spoken with Iraqi officials about the operation and its illegality under U.S. sanctions.
“While we do not comment on specific discussions, we can affirm the Department has emphasized with our Iraqi counterparts the harms of illicit trade and our support for bringing oil transparently to market,” the official told Reuters.
U.S. officials reportedly learned of the illicit oil selling scheme just months after Hamas, one of the groups in Tehran’s extensive terror network, invaded Israel and killed roughly 1,200 people while taking hundreds more captive.
Sanctions on Iran administered by President Trump during his first term wrecked Iran financially, but Tehran regained some of its wealth, an <a href="https://freebeacon.com/national-security/irans-illicit-oil-revenue-swells-to-nearly-200-billion-since-biden-harris-took-office-latest-figures-and-estimates-show/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">estimated</a> $200 billion worth, selling oil after the Biden administration took over. Those funds have been used in part to support Iran’s terror proxies, including Hezbollah and the Houthis.

Iranian flag

Biden Administration Gave ‘Free Pass’ To $1B Iranian Oil Smuggling Operation: Report

Iran

Joe Biden

United States

Four of the 60 living recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor were presented with their awards by President-Elect Donald Trump during his first term in the White House.
The nation&#8217;s highest award for courage and valor in combat, only 3,538 have been awarded in total in the 150 years since its inception. Just under 20% of them were awarded posthumously. Nineteen of those recipients have been awarded twice.
Staff Sergeant David G. Bellavia was awarded the Medal of Honor on June 25, 2019, for actions he took on November 4, 2004, that likely saved the lives of others in his unit.
After finding insurgents in a building that they were attempting to clear, Bellavia laid down suppressive fire in order for his men to evacuate safely. Once they were all out, instead of making a quick escape, Bellavia went back into the building to take out the remaining enemy soldiers, stopping only when he was badly wounded.
Trump said during a White House ceremony that Bellavia &#8220;exemplifies the same warrior ethos that gave his grandfather and all the heroes of Normandy the strength to defeat evil exactly seventy-five years ago.&#8221;
&#8220;We don’t want war, but if you want war with the United States of America, there is one thing I can promise you, so help me God: someone else will raise your sons and daughters,&#8221; Bellavia said.
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Operation Phantom Fury, Fallujah Medal of Honor recipient: SSgt David Bellavia.
‘We don’t want war, but if you want war with the United States of America, there is one thing I can promise you, so help me God: someone else will raise your sons and daughters.’ 🔥🇺🇸🫡 <a href="https://t.co/HyRCoDf6ew">pic.twitter.com/HyRCoDf6ew</a>
&mdash; 𝕃𝕚𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕟𝕒𝕟𝕥 ℂ𝕠𝕝𝕠𝕟𝕖𝕝 ℙ 🪖 (@TheLtColUSMC) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheLtColUSMC/status/1854648976357703735?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Sergeant First Class Thomas P. Payne was awarded his Medal of Honor on September 11, 2020, for his actions during a hostage rescue that took place on October 22 2015. Payne was instrumental in helping to liberate a number of hostages held in two buildings in Kirkuk Province, Iraq. He and the other members of his assault team took heavy fire as they attempted the mission, and one of the buildings was on fire by the time Payne was able to breach the main entrance. Despite the risk, Payne&#8217;s actions led to the successful rescue of 75 hostages and 20 enemies killed in action.
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On <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WarriorWednesday?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WarriorWednesday</a>, we recognize MOH recipient, U.S. Army SGM Thomas Payne. During Operation Inherent Resolve, he played an integral role rescuing 70 hostages from a burning building. Thank you, Thomas, for your service. We salute you! <a href="https://t.co/Iinvb1bmDd">pic.twitter.com/Iinvb1bmDd</a>
&mdash; GarySiniseFoundation (@GarySiniseFound) <a href="https://twitter.com/GarySiniseFound/status/1676652436948234241?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2023</a></blockquote>
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U.S. Navy Senior Chief Britt Kelly Slabinski, a U.S. Navy SEAL who also participated in the highly publicized rescue of Army PFC Jessica Lynch on April 1, 2003, was awarded his Medal of Honor on May 24, 2018. A member of SEAL Team 4, Slabinski was recognized for his part in a March 4, 2002, daring mountaintop rescue mission at Takur-Ghar.
&#8220;Their insertion helicopter was suddenly riddled with rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire from previously undetected enemy positions. The crippled helicopter lurched violently and ejected one teammate [Petty Officer First Class Neil Roberts] onto the mountain before the pilots were forced to crash land in the valley far below,&#8221; Slabinski&#8217;s citation reads in part.
Slabinski, along with Air Force Controller John Chapman, charged up the mountain under enemy fire to retrieve Roberts. Chapman was wounded and eventually killed in action, but Slabinski continued the mission in his absence.
&#8220;Proximity made air support impossible, and after several teammates became casualties, the situation became untenable. Senior Chief Slabinski maneuvered his team to a more defensible position, directed air strikes in very close proximity to his team’s position, and requested reinforcements,&#8221; the citation continued. &#8220;As daylight approached, accurate enemy mortar fire forced the team further down the sheer mountainside. Senior Chief Slabinski carried a seriously wounded teammate through deep snow and led a difficult trek across precipitous terrain while calling in fire on the enemy, which was engaging the team from the surrounding ridges. Throughout the next 14 hours, Senior Chief Slabinski stabilized the casualties and continued the fight against the enemy until the hill was secured and his team was extracted.&#8221;
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Master Chief Special Warfare Operator Britt Slabinski, U.S. Navy, Retired, represents the best of America. He risked his life in Afghanistan as he led his team on a rescue mission on a 10,000-foot mountain through arduous conditions. Take a moment to hear his story: <a href="https://t.co/E98m7Lsq40">pic.twitter.com/E98m7Lsq40</a>
&mdash; Vice President Mike Pence Archived (@VP45) <a href="https://twitter.com/VP45/status/999748091606544384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 24, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Sergeant Matthew O. Williams received his Medal of Honor on October 30, 2019, for actions that took place on April 6, 2008.
Williams was part of an assault team sent to engage an enemy on a mountain, but the forward group came under fire and several casualties were sustained. Williams led a team of mostly local fighters across dangerous terrain and under heavy fire in order to relieve those at the front who had been pinned down on the side of the mountain.
&#8220;He then assisted with moving the wounded down the near-vertical mountainside to the casualty collection point. Noting that the collection point was about to be overrun by enemy fighters, Sergeant Williams led the Afghan commandos in a counter-attack that lasted for several hours. When helicopters arrived to evacuate the wounded, Sergeant Williams again exposed himself to enemy fire, carrying and loading casualties onto the helicopters while continuing to direct commando firepower to suppress numerous insurgent positions,&#8221; his citation read. &#8220;His actions enabled the patrol to evacuate wounded and dead comrades without further casualties. Sergeant Williams’ complete disregard for his own safety and his concern for the safety of his teammates ensured the survival of four critically wounded soldiers and prevented the lead element of the assault force from being overrun by the enemy.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> presents the Medal of Honor to Army Master Sgt. Matthew O. Williams of Texas, a Green Beret. While in Afghanistan, Williams helped rescue several wounded soldiers during a April 2008 battle. <a href="https://t.co/u8FNl4sSa7">pic.twitter.com/u8FNl4sSa7</a>
&mdash; Fin Gómez (@finnygo) <a href="https://twitter.com/finnygo/status/1189665324339208194?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2019</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

Staff Sergeant David Bellavia Receives Medal Of Honor For Heroic Actions In Iraq

Meet The Four Living Medal Of Honor Recipients Given The Award By Donald Trump

These Four Living Medal Of Honor Recipients Were Awarded By Donald Trump

Afghanistan

Military

Politics

The system that the U.S. put in place in Iraq following its 2003 invasion of the country was abused by shady Iraqi banks that used the lax system to funnel large unknown sums of money to Iranian terrorists.
The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/iraq-banks-u-s-fed-iran-financing-0c3e740c?st=4qtfg6tag4np9c2&amp;reflink=article_copyURL_share">reported</a> that the three banks run by Ali Ghulam wired tens of billions of dollars outside of the country to fake vendors who submitted fraudulent invoices.
&#8220;U.S. officials suspect his banks were among more than two dozen Iraqi banks involved in funneling dollars to Iran and its militia allies, using front companies and falsified invoices to circumvent sanctions that block Iran from the global financial system,&#8221; the report said. &#8220;Audits of Ghulam’s banks completed in May, reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, reveal extraordinary details of overseas dollar transactions that auditors said raised money-laundering concerns.&#8221;
The report said that numbers as high as 80% of the more than $250 million in wire transfers that could flow through the banks on a daily basis were &#8220;untraceable&#8221; and some of the money would go to Iran&#8217;s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a designated terrorist organization, and to other Iranian-backed terrorist groups in the region.
The Pentagon warned the White House as far back as 2012, during the Obama administration, that fraudulent activity was happening at the banks. Obama, who <a href="https://www.politico.com/interactives/2017/obama-hezbollah-drug-trafficking-investigation/">killed</a> a massive federal investigation aimed a crippling the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah, did not appear to take action against the banks.
U.S. officials warned that there was as much as $800 million worth of fraud happening per week through the system in Iraq.
The system that was set up had the New York Fed hold Iraq&#8217;s tens of billions of dollars worth of earnings from oil sales every year to send physical cash back to Baghdad to help stabilize Iraq&#8217;s economy and prevent the further spread of ISIS in the country.
However, because Iraq was not part of Swift, a Belgium-based service that routes messages between banks, the Iraqi banks were not required to divulge who they were wiring the funds to outside of the country.
“The Americans have nothing on me,” Ghulam, who now lives in a $40 million mansion in London, claimed in an interview. “I have nothing to do with money laundering or Iran.”
The report said that he sold U.S. dollars on the black market and belonged to one of the Iranian-backed extremist groups that fought against U.S. forces.
When Iranian-backed terrorist groups in Iraq &#8220;saw the dollars to be made from the system, they started taking over private banks,&#8221; the report said. &#8220;They then entered the business of wiring money abroad, abusing the system by using fraudulent or inflated invoices for nonexistent imports, according to Iraqi officials and bankers.&#8221;
Audits from a private firm found that his banks sent $3.5 billion outside of the country in the six months before the U.S. cut him off to a small number of &#8220;obscure companies in the U.A.E.&#8221;
&#8220;The smallest transfer was for exactly $2,970,000, and the largest was for exactly $17,000,000,&#8221; the report said. &#8220;In the six months audited, one Iraqi company sent precisely $243,000,000 in 17 payments through Iraqi Middle East Investment Bank. The audit called the round numbers a red flag for money laundering because such amounts are almost never seen in legitimate business transactions.&#8221;
When the Fed finally started investigating the business transactions in 2022, they &#8220;shut him down almost overnight,&#8221; the report said.

IRAN-VOTE-POLITICS

Iraqi Banks Used U.S.-Created System To Funnel Money To Iranian Terrorists: Report

Fraud

Money

At least half a dozen U.S. soldiers were injured during an operation against <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/isis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ISIS</a> in Iraq late this week that resulted in more than a dozen Islamic terrorists being terminated from the battlefield.
The Associated Press <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/International/7-us-personnel-injured-iraq-raid-killed-15/story?id=113290070" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that a U.S. defense official said that seven U.S. soldiers were injured during the raids.
None of the injuries were described as &#8220;life-threatening,&#8221; NBC News <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/15-islamic-state-group-fighters-dead-6-us-soldiers-injured-raid-rcna169080" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Multiple officials told the network that several of the soldiers suffered traumatic brain injuries — likely from a blast — and one soldier suffered &#8220;external injuries.&#8221;
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement that the U.S. conducted the raid in a joint operation with Iraqi Security Forces in Western Iraq during the early hours on Thursday, resulting in the deaths of 15 ISIS terrorists.
&#8220;The ISIS element was armed with numerous weapons, grenades, and explosive &#8216;suicide&#8217; belts,&#8221; CENTCOM said. &#8220;This operation targeted ISIS leaders to disrupt and degrade ISIS&#8217; ability to plan, organize, and conduct attacks against Iraqi civilians, as well as U.S. citizens, allies, and partners throughout the region and beyond.&#8221;
Iraqi Security Forces were continuing to gather intelligence from the locations that were raided, the statement said.
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&#8220;ISIS remains a threat to the region, our allies, as well as our homeland,&#8221; the statement continued. &#8220;U.S. CENTCOM alongside our coalition and Iraqi partners, will continue to aggressively pursue these terrorists.&#8221;
The statement said that there was no indication of any civilians being hurt.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces and Iraqi Security Forces conducted a partnered raid in Western Iraq in the early hours of Aug. 29, resulting in the death of 15 ISIS operatives. The ISIS element was armed with numerous weapons, grenades, and explosive &#8220;suicide&#8221; belts. There… <a href="https://t.co/fCOFyxtke1">pic.twitter.com/fCOFyxtke1</a>
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) <a href="https://twitter.com/CENTCOM/status/1829690125896351762?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 31, 2024</a></blockquote>

Islamic State/Iraq/Syria: A masked Islamic State soldier poses holding the ISIL banner somewhere in the deserts of Iraq or Syria. ISIL publicity image, 2015

More Than Half Dozen U.S. Soldiers Injured During Operation Against ISIS

Radical Islam

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, now Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’s running mate, issued his Congressional Challenge Coin falsely claiming he had the status of a command sergeant major when, in fact, he <a href="https://www.startribune.com/walzs-24-years-in-national-guard-get-renewed-scrutiny-from-gop-opponent-who-didnt-serve/600216280" target="_blank" rel="noopener">retired</a> as a master sergeant.
Some members of Congress have embraced a military tradition of minting custom coins. The Congressional Challenge Coins purport to include details about their lives and the districts they represent.
Evidence of the coin was first reported by the podcast <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVMkvv8PQhk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Angry Cops</a>; it was corroborated by Daily Wire reporter Bree A Dail On X.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Hi, <a href="https://twitter.com/Tim_Walz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Tim_Walz</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KamalaHarris</a>— Just wondering, did you also “misprint” your rank as Command Sergeant Major on your Congressional Challenge Coin?
cc: <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCNews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBCNews</a> <a href="https://t.co/KIILqMgj9S">https://t.co/KIILqMgj9S</a> <a href="https://t.co/fkZrb4luHv">pic.twitter.com/fkZrb4luHv</a>
&mdash; Bree A Dail (@breeadail) <a href="https://twitter.com/breeadail/status/1822647461044768885?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Retired Sergeant Major Jason Jaskula — who has run the <a href="https://www.kiamemorialmarch.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KIA Memorial Roadmarch</a> to honor the memory of his fallen buddy, Staff Sergeant Christopher Dill, killed in during Operation Iraqi Freedom on April 4, 2005, in Diyala, Iraq — was asked by Angry Cops what he thought of  Walz’s Congressional Challenge Coin. He responded:
<blockquote>
I think it is unethical. He was a conditionally appointed sergeant major but never earned the rank and literally no one would understand that except for a few military members and/or sergeant majors. &#8230; It’s like a private and basic training that becomes the platoon leader, and he gets to wear sergeant’s stripes on his shoulders, but then he goes home and shows pictures of it and then people think that he’s a sergeant. &#8230; As an actual retired sergeant major it pisses me off and minimalizes what I actually did. Feel free to use the quote as well that I spoke to sergeant majors and they all call him — never mind.
</blockquote>
“Challenge coins serve as a symbol of membership, belonging, and camaraderie, forging a strong bond among those who possess them. Additionally, they are used to acknowledge an individual&#8217;s achievements, dedication, or exemplary service, and serve as a tangible reminder of the appreciation and respect of their peers and superiors,” Fork Union Military Academy <a href="https://www.forkunion.com/the-honor-and-tradition-of-challenge-coins/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">explains</a>.
Doug Julin — who oversaw Walz in the Minnesota National Guard as a more senior command sergeant in the 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery — told CNN on Thursday that Walz went behind his back to retire after he learned that their unit would be deploying to Iraq.
“Receiving a challenge coin is a great honor, as it signifies that the recipient has played a special role, making a significant impact on their peers and the organization as a whole,” Fork Union Military Academy continues. “Today, challenge coins are used across all branches of the US military, including the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. They have become an integral part of military culture and tradition, with each unit creating their unique coins featuring their insignia, motto, or other elements that represent their identity and values. &#8230; Possessing a unit&#8217;s challenge coin indicated that an individual was a trusted member of the team and shared the same values, experiences, and goals as their comrades.”
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tim-walz-repeatedly-misconstrued-his-military-service-here-are-the-examples">Tim Walz Repeatedly Misconstrued His Military Service. Here Are The Examples.</a>

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz

Walz Issued Congressional Challenge Coin That Misstated His Rank

2024 Election

Congress

National Guard

Tim Walz

Minnesota Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tim-walz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tim Walz&#8217;s</a> direct superior in the National Guard said this week that Walz went behind his back to get out of having to deploy to Iraq because Walz knew that he would have said no.
Doug Julin — who oversaw Walz in the Minnesota National Guard as a more senior command sergeant in the 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery — told CNN on Thursday that Walz went behind his back to retire after he learned that their unit was going to be deploying to Iraq.
Julin said that in the fall of 2004, he and his commander received a notification of sourcing alerting them that they would be deploying to Iraq within the next year and they proceeded to alert everyone under their command to prepare themselves.
At a meeting preparing for the deployment in February 2005 at Camp Ripley, Minnesota, Sergeant Major Walz approached Julin afterward and informed him that he was going to run for Congress. Walz told Julin that he had not been nominated yet, but he just wanted to give him a &#8220;warning order&#8221; about his plans.
In a meeting the following month, Julin says that Walz told him that he had not been nominated and therefore was &#8220;going forward with the battalion.&#8221;
Julin said that during a meeting in June, he learned from another National Guard member that Walz had quit, which surprised him because Walz would have had to go through his direct superior, which was Julin, in order to do so.
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Julin said that Walz went to someone two levels higher than him in the enlisted corps to get approval to quit.
&#8220;He knew the rules or the policies or the procedures and the manner of how to address issues going forward,&#8221; Julin said. &#8220;If this would have been an early entry, low-level ranking individual, different story. We would have understood that, okay, he didn&#8217;t understand the processes and the procedures. Tim Walz knew the processes and the procedures. He went around me and above and beyond me, and went to get somebody to back him, to get him out of there.&#8221;
&#8220;He did something wrong in service,&#8221; Julin said in explaining how Walz violated the chain of command. &#8220;He knew the policies and procedures and how we go to leadership and address issues or discuss issues and concerns out there. Again, backing up, he had told me, &#8216;No, I&#8217;m going forward, we&#8217;re going to go with the battalion, and go from there.&#8217; So, I&#8217;m under the believing, he told me he was going forward. I&#8217;m underneath that believing that he&#8217;s going forward. He went around me, which he should have addressed it with me so he could help me with some things out there.&#8221;
Julin said that Walz went behind his back because Walz knew that Julin would have said, &#8216;No, it&#8217;s too late, you&#8217;re going forward, because we&#8217;d already received our notification of sourcing.'&#8221;
He added that claims that Walz had not been notified about deploying were categorically false. &#8220;Yes, he had been notified,&#8221; he said.
Julin later <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/08/08/us-news/tim-walz-went-above-senior-sergeant-to-secure-retirement-in-2005/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the New York Post that Walz knew that Julin would have &#8220;challenged&#8221; his cowardly move to get out of having to deploy.
&#8220;He knew I would have told him, ‘Suck it up, we’re going,’” Julin said.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Tonight’s <a href="https://twitter.com/thelauracoates?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@thelauracoates</a> interview with Walz’ direct enlisted superior [retired CSM] Doug Julin is pretty damning- Julin says sr leaders learned abt deployment in fall 2004 and Walz initially was going to stay and deploy before changing his mind. (1/2)<a href="https://t.co/ayz7ESBAzA">pic.twitter.com/ayz7ESBAzA</a> <a href="https://t.co/8a3K5eW7Dl">https://t.co/8a3K5eW7Dl</a>
— Peter Meijer (@RepMeijer) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepMeijer/status/1822065326957175150?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 10, 2024</a></blockquote>

US-VOTE-POLITICS-HARRIS-WALZ

Tim Walz’s Boss In National Guard Blasts Him For Cowardly Exit: ‘He Did Something Wrong In Service’

Elections

Kamala Harris

Since 2018, there has been a large-scale controversy surrounding Tim Walz: his stolen valor.
Stolen valor has a long history in American politics, where people who run for high office exaggerate their military service. Many of the comrades whom they shivved become angry about it.
For example, John Kerry in 2004.
He exaggerated his heroism in Vietnam, which came back to haunt him. That was only after he had made his bones by returning from Vietnam and slandering his fellow soldiers as torturers and sickos who taped electrodes to genitals and tortured the Vietnamese people, among other such claims. He made his name doing that.
Then, he came around making statements such as, “I liked serving in Vietnam with all my brothers.”
And all the Vietnam vets reacted: “This jackass? This one?”
Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) was also involved in a stolen valor controversy. He was a Democrat from Connecticut running for the Senate who said that he served in Vietnam.
He didn’t.
The long history of stolen valor continues. It turns out that Tim Walz is also a stolen valor guy, by all available evidence. He served in the National Guard for 24 years. But two separate claims about Walz also exist. One claim is that the minute he found out he was going to be deployed to Iraq, he quit. The minute that those rumors even began, he quit and then ran for Congress. So, a timeline is called into question.
And then, he apparently claimed for years and years that he&#8217;d been deployed to war zones, though he never was. Now, there&#8217;s nothing wrong with being in the military and not being deployed to a war zone. Plenty of members of the military were never deployed to a war zone, and we thank them for their heroic service.
There is a problem when you lie about it.
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2022-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h4>
In a 2007 <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvPtIEnNjqE">interview</a> that aired on C-Span, Walz stretched some definitions to imply very strongly that he was in a war zone: 
<blockquote>I spent 24 years in the National Guard, some of that full-time; I was an artilleryman. I deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. My battalion provided base security throughout the European theater from Turkey to England in the early stages of the war in Afghanistan. And that same battalion is now in Iraq at this time.</blockquote>
He was talking about how his battalion ended up in Iraq. He was not in Iraq. He was talking about how he provided support for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, stretching some definitions at the very least. Somehow, almost every article from 2007 to 2018 about him included the lie he was actually in Afghanistan or Iraq. There are many, many of these. He actually endorsed a book that claimed he was in Afghanistan.
And a lot of veterans are very, very angry about all of this.
And then there&#8217;s the question of the timeline because the claim from many of the members of his old battalion is that he quit on them the minute he found out they were going to Iraq. In 2018 after Walz first ran for governor, retired Command Sergeant Majors Thomas Behrends and Paul Herr wrote and posted <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=2192940227614940&amp;set=pcb.2192944367614526">a letter</a> on Facebook: 
<blockquote>On August 5th, 2004 he was photographed holding a sign at a protest outside a President Bush campaign rally in southern Minnesota.
On September 17th, 2004 he was conditionally promoted to Command Sergeant Major. The conditions had been outlined to him when he was counseled and he signed the Statement of Agreement and Certification. If the conditions are not met, the promotion is null and void, like it never happened.
In early 2005, a warning order was issued to the 1-125th Field Artillery Battalion, which included the position he was serving in, to prepare to be mobilized for active duty for a deployment to Iraq. Between the time the warning order was given and his &#8220;retirement&#8221;, he told the Brigade Command Sergeant Major not to worry, that he would be going on the mission. It appears that was a lie.
On May 16, 2005 he quit, betraying his country, leaving the 1-125th Field Artillery Battalion and its Soldiers hanging; without its senior Non-Commissioned Officer, as the battalion prepared for war. His excuse to other leaders was that he needed to retire in order to run for congress. Which is false, according to a Department of Defense Directive, he could have run and requested permission from the Secretary of Defense before entering active duty; as many reservists have. If he had retired normally and respectfully, you would think he would have ensured his retirement documents were correctly filled out and signed, and that he would have ensured he was reduced to Master Sergeant for dropping out of the academy. Instead he slithered out the door and waited for the paperwork …</blockquote>
They added: 
<blockquote>On September 10th, 2005 conditionally promoted Command Sergeant Major Walz was reduced to Master Sergeant. It took a while for the system to catch up to him as it was uncharted territory, literally no one quits in the position he was in, or drops out of the academy. Except him.
In November of 2005, while the battalion trained for war at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, it received an offer from retired Master Sergeant Walz. He offered to fund raise for the battalion&#8217;s bus trip home over Christmas that year. The same Soldiers he had abandoned just months before, trying to buy their votes.</blockquote>
On November 1st, 2006, Tom Hagen, Iraq War Veteran, wrote <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/walz-embellished-and-selectively-omitted-facts-about-his-military-career-retired-national-guardsmen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a letter</a> to the editor of the Winona Daily News about Walz, saying: 
<blockquote>But even more disturbing is the fact that Walz quickly retired after learning that his unit — southern Minnesota&#8217;s 1-125 FA Battalion — would be sent to Iraq. For Tim Walz to abandon his fellow soldiers and quit when they needed experienced leadership most is disheartening. It dishonors those brave Americans in his place.</blockquote>
This is a major scandal for Walz because when you exaggerate your military career, other veterans get angry.
* * *
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Kamala Harris and Tim Walz campaign in Wisconsin

Stolen Valor Walz

Ben Shapiro

Readers Pass

Bloomberg News was forced to edit a glaring mistake in what was apparently intended to be a glowing profile of Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tim-walz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tim Walz</a> (D-MN) — a mistake that only fanned the social media flames surrounding already-existing claims that Walz was guilty of stolen valor.
Kamala Harris, who only rose to the top of the ticket two weeks earlier after President Joe Biden announced that he could not continue his campaign, announced on Tuesday that Walz would be her running mate, and the <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-08-06/tim-walz-vice-presidential-pick-stands-out-as-teacher-and-veteran" target="_blank" rel="noopener">article in question</a> — headlined &#8220;Walz’s Holy Trinity of Normal: Coach, Teacher, Veteran&#8221; — was published just hours later.
In the piece, Bloomberg Businessweek correspondent Joshua Green referenced Walz&#8217;s military career — just over 24 years in the Nebraska (1981-1996) and then Minnesota (1996-2005) National Guard — but flubbed a couple of key details when he claimed that Walz had deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Marine Corps veteran and editor-in-chief of The Daily Caller Geoff Ingersoll pointed out the fact that OEF was Afghanistan. Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) was the campaign that put boots on the ground in Iraq. Additionally, Walz never deployed to Iraq at all — and numerous reports state that he took a conditional promotion to the rank of Command Sergeant Major only to back out and abruptly retire altogether shortly after being informed that his unit was scheduled to deploy to Iraq. Prior to that, he was briefly assigned to a post in Italy — in support of OEF — but never served in a combat zone.
Ingersoll also pointed out that it mattered whether Green had simply gotten his report wrong or had been &#8220;misled&#8221; by Walz.
&#8220;Wow, this is wild. (Also OEF was Afghanistan, NOT Iraq.) Walz should be forced to confirm or deny whether he misled Bloomberg’s @JoshuaGreen, who is still reporting to this day that Walz did a tour in Iraq. And Green should come out and say whether he was misled. This is false then and it’s false now.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Wow, this is wild. (Also OEF was Afghanistan, NOT Iraq.)
Walz should be forced to confirm or deny whether he misled Bloomberg’s <a href="https://twitter.com/JoshuaGreen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JoshuaGreen</a>, who is still reporting to this day that Walz did a tour in Iraq.
And Green should come out and say whether he was misled.
This is false… <a href="https://t.co/CmDrwyJBxR">https://t.co/CmDrwyJBxR</a> <a href="https://t.co/30MpUhpCut">pic.twitter.com/30MpUhpCut</a>
— Geoffrey Ingersoll (@GPIngersoll) <a href="https://twitter.com/GPIngersoll/status/1821244389902987300?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 7, 2024</a></blockquote>
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At some point on Wednesday, Bloomberg updated the article — noting at the top of the page that the piece was &#8220;corrected August 7, 2024 at 3:46 PM CDT&#8221; — to correctly state that Walz had served in Italy rather than Iraq.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/scamala-kamala-harris-unmasked" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH BEN SHAPIRO’S ‘SCAMALA: KAMALA HARRIS UNMASKED’ ON DAILYWIRE+</a>
Green also posted the correction on X himself, taking responsibility for the error and saying, &#8220;My Walz newsletter yesterday wrongly stated he&#8217;d served in Iraq — he didn&#8217;t. He served in Italy. My error. Story has been corrected online and on the terminal.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
My Walz newsletter yesterday wrongly stated he&#8217;d served in Iraq &#8212; he didn&#8217;t. He served in Italy. My error. Story has been corrected online and on the terminal: <a href="https://t.co/H7ct8Rj7Yp">https://t.co/H7ct8Rj7Yp</a> <a href="https://t.co/r581UO90oc">https://t.co/r581UO90oc</a> <a href="https://t.co/yD3b8udiiR">pic.twitter.com/yD3b8udiiR</a>
— Joshua Green (JoshuaGreen.bsky.social on 🟦) (@JoshuaGreen) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoshuaGreen/status/1821266872832082117?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 7, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
But the reason the story grew legs so quickly is that Walz has, in the past, been accused of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/is-the-honeymoon-over-already-cnn-fact-checks-tim-walz-over-stolen-valor-claims" target="_blank" rel="noopener">embellishing his military career</a> and using those embellishments to push a political agenda. In order to push for an &#8220;assault weapons&#8221; ban, for example, Walz has suggested that his experience carrying such weapons &#8220;in war&#8221; makes him qualified to tell civilians what they should not carry anywhere else.
&#8220;I spent 25 years in the Army and I hunt,” Walz said at a campaign event. “I’ve been voting for common sense legislation that protects the Second Amendment, but we can do background checks. We can do CDC … We can make sure those weapons of war, that I carried in war, is the only place where those weapons are carried.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Gov. <a href="https://twitter.com/Tim_Walz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Tim_Walz</a>: I spent 25 years in the Army and I hunt. I’ve been voting for common sense legislation that protects the Second Amendment, but we can do background checks. We can research the impacts of gun violence. We can make sure those weapons of war, that I carried in war,… <a href="https://t.co/3IVaXi2RP2">pic.twitter.com/3IVaXi2RP2</a>
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) <a href="https://twitter.com/KamalaHQ/status/1820918063966962143?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 6, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Even CNN was forced to fact-check Walz on that comment, saying that &#8220;there is a difference between being in a combat area, being involved in a time of war, and actually being in a position where people are shooting at you. There is no evidence that any time that Governor Walz was in the position of being shot at and some of his language could easily be seen to suggest that he was.&#8221;

Bloomberg Busts Out One Hell Of A Correction Amid Tim Walz Stolen Valor Furor

Bloomberg News

Media

Speaking in Shelby Township, Michigan, on Wednesday, GOP vice presidential candidate JD Vance blasted Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz for ducking out of fighting in Iraq when it was time for him to serve.
According to former command sergeant major Thomas Behrends, who reportedly went to Iraq in Walz&#8217;s place, and former command sergeant major Paul Herr, Walz retired from their National Guard unit in 2005. Months before Walz retired, he had received a warning order that his battalion would be deployed to Iraq.
“I needed to hit the ground running and take care of the troops — and tell them we were going to war,” Behrends told <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/08/06/us-news/veep-pick-tim-walz-is-a-traitor-to-national-guard-source/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Post</a> of the 500 soldiers who had been under his command. “For a guy in that position, to quit is cowardice. When your country calls, you are supposed to run into battle — not the other way. He ran away. It’s sad. He had the opportunity to serve his country, and said ‘Screw you’ to the United States. That’s not who I would pick to run for vice president.”
Vance responded to the accusations on Wednesday.
“What really bothers me about Tim Walz, as a Marine who served his country in uniform?” Vance asked rhetorically. “When the United States Marine Corps, when the United States of America asked me to go to Iraq to serve my country, I did it. &#8230; When Tim Walz was asked by his country to go to Iraq &#8230; he dropped out of the Army.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JDVance</a>: &quot;You know what really bothers me about Tim Walz, as a Marine who served his country in uniform? When the United States of America asked me to go to Iraq to serve my country, I did it&#8230;When Tim Walz was asked by his country to go to Iraq&#8230;he dropped out of the Army.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/h8Wce3QNAi">pic.twitter.com/h8Wce3QNAi</a>
&mdash; MAGA War Room (@MAGAIncWarRoom) <a href="https://twitter.com/MAGAIncWarRoom/status/1821194089129185703?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 7, 2024</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;
Vance, the first military veteran on a major presidential ticket since John McCain in 2008, joined the U.S. Marines in 2003. At roughly the same time, Walz allegedly ducked out of serving in Iraq, Vance <a href="https://taskandpurpose.com/news/jd-vance-marine-veteran/#:~:text=Vance%20served%20a%20four%2Dyear,six%20months%20in%20late%202005." target="_blank" rel="noopener">served</a> as a combat correspondent there for six months.
<a href="http://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1722714742764000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1XzmEsRwzti1RFNuISwYgd">WATCH THE TRAILER FOR ‘AM I RACIST?’ — A MATT WALSH COMEDY ON DEI</a>
In 2018, when Walz first ran for governor of Minnesota, Behrends and Herr wrote on Facebook, “On May 16th, 2005, [Walz] quit, betraying his country, leaving the 1-125th Field Artillery Battalion and its Soldiers hanging without its senior Non-Commissioned Officer, as the battalion prepared for war.”
“Walz would have been the Battalion Command Sergeant Major, the highest-ranking non-commissioned officer and arguably the most important leader in his unit,” Dan Holloway, who served in the 82nd Airborne, noted in <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/combat-veterans-like-me-tim-walzs-abandonment-his-unit-unforgivable-opinion-1935591" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Newsweek</a>. “And in the moment they needed him most, when they were about to deploy to Iraq, Walz chose to abandon his men to run for Congress. According to sources within the unit, three of his soldiers died on that deployment.”

MixCollage-07-Aug-2024-12-03-PM-5293

‘I Did It … He Dropped Out’: Vance Blasts Walz For Ducking Combat In Iraq

Combat

J.D. Vance

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