His comments during Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate followed the unearthing of reports that contradict previous claims he made about his travel to China, including a claim that the Democratic vice presidential nominee was in Hong Kong preparing for a teaching position in 1989 during the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests that ended in hundreds of protesters killed by the Chinese government.
“My community knows who I am. They saw where I was at,” Walz said during the debate. “Look, I will be the first to tell you, I have poured my heart into my community. 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. Those same people elected me to Congress for 12 years.” When pressed by CBS News’ moderators specifically about the discrepancy between his past comments and the media reports on his travel, Walz first said he “misspoke” on this.
