Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) drew a parallel on Thursday between the current criticisms of Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.) regarding his military service and the notorious Swift Boat attacks directed at former Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) during the 2004 presidential campaign.
In an interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, Sherrill expressed her outrage over the attacks on Walz, who served over 20 years in the Army National Guard. She likened the current situation to the Swift Boat controversy, stating, “It’s like the same kind of slanderous campaign that was waged against Senator Kerry. These attacks against Walz are incredibly offensive and remind me of those previous assaults.”
Rep. Sherrill calls attacks on Walz’s service a “disgrace,” likens them to Kerry’s Swift Boat controversy
Sherrill, a former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot, took to X to condemn the attacks on Walz’s military record, calling them “a disgrace” and attributing them to the divisive tactics of former President Trump.
The Swift Boat scandal was an aspect of the 2004 presidential race, where a group named the “Swift Boat Veterans for Truth” cast doubt on Kerry’s military service. Despite widespread rebuttals from Kerry’s fellow veterans, the controversy is believed to have influenced the election outcome in favor of George W. Bush.
Chris LaCivita, who led the Swift Boat campaign, now serves as a campaign adviser for Trump. LaCivita defended the Swift Boat claims online, while Matthew Dowd, a Bush-Cheney strategist, labeled them as “nearly all lies.”
Walz, recently chosen as Vice President Harris’s running mate, has faced criticism for supposedly leaving the military before his unit’s deployment and for alleged exaggerations about his combat experience. Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), the GOP vice-presidential nominee, questioned Walz’s military service at a Michigan campaign event, suggesting he should be ashamed of any false claims.
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), who was a top contender for Harris’s vice-presidential spot, defended Walz on X, criticizing Trump’s disrespectful remarks about veterans. Sherrill reiterated her condemnation of the attacks, urging Walz to take pride in his extensive public service. “These attacks are just the same old tactics used against people who serve,” she said.
