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Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota is under fire for discrepancies in his statements about being in China during the Tiananmen Square protests in June 1989.
During his vice presidential debate, Walz was challenged by CBS News moderator Margaret Brennan, who noted reports indicating he didn’t travel to Asia until August of that year.
“You said you were in Hong Kong during the deadly Tiananmen Square protest in the spring of 1989. But Minnesota Public Radio and other media outlets are reporting that you actually didn’t travel to Asia until August of that year,” Brennan began.
“Can you explain that discrepancy?” Brennan questioned.
Walz’s responses were vague and defensive, admitting to the mistake but not clarifying the discrepancy.
“I’ve tried to do the best I can, but I’ve not been perfect, and I’m a knucklehead at times, but it’s always been about that,” Walz said.
“Many times I will talk a lot. I will get caught up in the rhetoric. But being there, the impact it made, the difference it made in my life — I learned a lot about China,” Walz said.
“The question was, can you explain the discrepancy?” Brennan asked.
“No, all I said on this is I got there that summer, and misspoke on this, so I will just … that’s what I’ve said,” Walz said.
“I had my dates wrong,” Walz said. “I was in Hong Kong in China in 1989. That move from Hong Kong into China, it was profound for me. That was the summer of democracy. I said, it’s when I understood how sacred democracy was. It’s what encouraged me, about 15 back-and-forths with my students.”
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The candidate then reverted to his I’m-not-a-perfect-guy posture, saying, “I speak like everybody else speaks. I need to be clearer, I will tell you that.”
“My clarity to take away from the message is something I want to be very clear: August of ‘89 into Hong Kong, into China,” Walz said.
The situation has raised concerns regarding his honesty and character, suggesting Walz may have embellished his experiences to appear more significant than he is.