Uniformed Ron Paul Supporter Formally Reprimanded For Election Night Speech In Iowa

A U.S. Army Reserve soldier who violated decorum by both appearing on CNN in support of presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) and speaking for him at a rally on election night in Iowa has been reprimanded for his conduct.

The Hill reported on a statement released by the Army Reserve on Friday in which U.S. Army Spc. Jesse Thorsen was found “in violation of DoD Directives and Instructions when, while in military uniform but not on any duty status, he participated in a partisan political rally and made a speech advocating for a partisan political candidate while in uniform, and received a reprimand that has been placed in Spc. Thorsen’s Official Military Personnel File.”

The Hill notes that Paul has highlighted his campaign’s appeal to active duty U.S. service personnel. In a statement released by the Paul campaign in February, he touts his ability to raise campaign donations from service men and women which outpaces both President Obama and his Republican presidential competitors.

“Especially notable is that Paul raised about triple the amount Obama received and about six times that of all currently-competing Republicans — Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Buddy Roemer, and Rick Santorum — combined,” read the Paul campaign’s statement.

Beyond the official reprimand, the 28-year-old Thorsen is not expected to suffer any further consequences as a result of his election night speech and CNN appearance.

Watch Thorsen’s election night interview below via CNN:

Watch Ron Paul’s concession speech in Iowa below:

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