News/Commentary

CNN reveals Walz campaign lied about his DUI: ‘Court records show the truth’

August 15, 2024 | | Print Article

CNN’s KFile did a rather impressive piece of journalism, digging into the past of Governor Tim Walz and revealing a potentially problematic issue.

Senior Reporter Andrew Kaczynski dropped a report revealing that in 2006, the Walz campaign lied about his 1995 DUI when he was running for Congress. Legal records indicate that Walz was speeding, driving 96 mph in a 55 mph, and had a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .128 which exceeded the acceptable 0.1 BAC at the time of the crime. However, this reality became muddled when his campaign lied about the details and circumstances of his arrest.

“But in 2006, his campaign repeatedly told the press that he had not been drinking that night, claiming that his failed field sobriety test was due to a misunderstanding related to hearing loss from his time in the National Guard. The campaign also claimed that Walz was allowed to drive himself to jail that night.” Kaczynski explains.

“The DUI charge was dropped for a Reason: it wasn’t true,” Walz’s then-campaign communications director told local news in 2006. “The trooper had him drive to the station and then leave on his own after being at the station. Tim feels bad about speeding and has paid the ticket and apologized to his family at the time it happened.”

The truth is that the trooper transported Walz to the hospital for a legal blood draw incidental to his arrest.

“Under NSP procedure, a person suspected of impaired driving is not allowed to continue driving,” Cody Thomas, a spokesman for the Nebraska State Patrol, told CNN. “In this case, the suspect was transported by the trooper and was lodged in Dawes County Jail.”

The reporter posted the story to X:

“In 2006, Tim Walz’s campaign made multiple false claims about his 1995 arrest:

– He wasn’t drinking that night and failed the sobriety test due to hearing loss from his National Guard service.

– He drove himself to the police station and then home after being stopped.

– The DUI charge was dropped because the trooper misunderstood his condition and there was no basis for the charge. Court records contradict all of these claims, showing Walz was drunk, driving 96 mph, and was transported to jail by a state trooper,” Kaczynski explained.

“In 2018, during his campaign for Minnesota governor, Tim Walz finally admitted to the facts of his 1995 arrest, acknowledging that he had been drinking and driving. He said it had been a life-changing moment. He did not explain the discrepancies and how it was described in 2006,” he continued.

Harris’s campaign declined to comment on why the campaign described it that way in 2006 — which cited Walz. His former campaign staff also did not comment.

Sierra Marlee
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