Tim Walz's 1995 DUI Resurfaces as Kamala Harris Announces Him as Her Running Mate
“He couldn’t understand what the officer was saying to him,” was the claim then, with the campaign manager adding Walz had “balance issues.”
Published Aug. 6 2024, 10:11 a.m. ET
Americans waking up on Aug. 6, 2024 learned that after much speculation, Kamala Harris chose Tim Walz as her vice presidential running mate.
Given that many of us don't know a lot about Walz, of course there is a natural curiosity surrounding the Minnesota governor.
One incident from the 60-year-old's past that is coming back into the forefront is his 1995 DUI charge.
The brush with the law thankfully encouraged Walz to become sober for good — but the DUI was also shrouded in odd circumstances at the time. Read on for the full details of Tim Walz's DUI.
Tim Walz denied he was drunk on the campaign trail at the time of his DUI.
Walz has been sober since getting a DUI in Nebraska decades ago, per the Star Tribune.
But once upon a time, the eventual Minnesota Democratic leader was pulled over for clocking an eyebrow-raising 96 miles per hour in a zone where the speed limit was 55, as reported by the Alpha News.
A police report stated, “A strong odor of alcoholic beverage was detected emitting from Mr. Walz‘s breath and person."
He also failed a field sobriety and breath test, eventually registering a blood alcohol level of .128.
Despite the damning evidence against him, in 2006, Walz via his campaign manager denied being intoxicated.
It was even said on the campaign trail that he was “not drunk” and instead, offered a curious explanation for speeding at the time of the DUI.
“The state patrol officer turned around and, this is a little, a little bit bizarre, but Mr. Walz thought somebody was chasing him," attorney Russell Harford explained. "The officer didn’t turn on his red lights and he — and somebody came up real fast behind him and he didn’t know what they were doing, so he sped up to try to get away, fearing that somebody was after him."
But there was also another reason that Walz was potentially acting disoriented at the scene.
Tim Walz suffers from hearing loss from his time in combat.
Walz served 21 years in the field artillery unit of the army.
Per MPR News, in 2013, he filed a claim for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
The veteran said blasts "would knock us down and after firing I had ringing in my ears."
He then suffered worsening hearing loss.
In 2005, prior to filing his claim, Walz had a procedure called a stapedectomy which repaired damaged bones inside his ear — the surgery helped his hearing, according to the governor.
In 1995, his hearing loss was potentially a factor in the VP pick's DUI — even if court documents reveal his lawyer admitted he'd been drinking.
However, in 2006, his campaign manager “attributed the misunderstanding to Walz’s deafness.”
“He couldn’t understand what the officer was saying to him,” was the claim then, with the campaign manager adding Walz had “balance issues.”
