Tim Walz Says He Misspoke About Befriending School Shooters

“It’s pretty damn clear I stand with the victims,” Walz said. But his previous statements on being in China during the Tiananmen Square protests may be tougher to excuse.

Tim Walz AP-24226751275033
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz reacts as he speaks at the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Convention in Los Angeles. Jae C. Hong/AP

Gov. Tim Walz has repeatedly excused certain inconsistencies between his record and his rhetoric by saying he misspoke. On Wednesday, less than 24 hours after a mostly unnoteworthy vice presidential debate, Walz said one of the more head-scratching moments of the debate — when he claimed he had befriended school shooters — was, once again, because he didn’t get his words right.

“You have seen me do this,” Walz said. “I was talking about being people where there are school shooters, and I need to be more specific on that, but I am passionate about this.”

Walz clarified his remarks Wednesday while answering questions after arriving in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the first stop on a swing through multiple battleground states.