Van Jones Argues Harris Campaign Should Address Walz’s ‘Loose Language’ Over Military Career: ‘They Should Clean It Up’

CNN’s Van Jones argued that Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign should get the controversy over vice presidential nominee Tim Walz’s military record “cleaned up” and “move on” as soon as possible Wednesday night.

Asked by John Berman if “this is something that the campaign needs to address in a bigger way than they have?” Jones replied, “Yeah, I think that they should clean it up.”

“It’s conceivable that he’s been loose with with his language or said stuff that doesn’t, that’s not, I mean, there’s- people are human beings on these campaign trails and so, but now he’s running for a major position. If he needs to clean it up, clean it up,” continued Jones. “The reality is, if he said one or two things or said some things that turned out to be maybe a little bit sloppy, fix it, because he’s got a gazillion people who are willing to stand up for his character.”

“He’s got gay students who are willing to stand up for his character. He’s got people he’s served with, who’s willing to stand up for his character,” he concluded. “If this comes down to a character contest between this ticket and Donald Trump, we’re going to win 50 states. So let’s just get this cleaned up and move on.”

Walz is under fire from critics for allegedly exaggerating his military record as a member of the National Guard. While Walz has referenced “weapons of war, that I carried in war” while advocating for gun control in the past, he has not actually served in a combat zone. Critics have also taken issue with his retirement from the military just before his unit left for Iraq in 2005.

“Well, I wonder, Tim Walz, when were you ever in war? What was this weapon that you carried into war, given that you abandoned your unit right before they went to Iraq?” asked Walz’s Republican counterpart,  JD Vance, on Wednesday. “What bothers me about Tim Walz is this stolen valor garbage.”

The Harris campaign pushed back on Wednesday via a spokesman, noting that “In his 24 years of service, the Governor carried, fired and trained others to use weapons of war innumerable times,” adding that “Governor Walz would never insult or undermine any American’s service to this country — in fact, he thanks Senator Vance for putting his life on the line for our country. It’s the American way.”

Watch above via CNN.