The Tim Walz Drunken Driving Incident

[Social Media]

 

Tim Walz, has recently found himself in the spotlight as Vice President Kamala Harris's running mate. Among the aspects of his life now under renewed examination is a 1995 drunken driving arrest that occurred long before Walz entered the political arena. The incident, which has resurfaced periodically throughout his career, offers insight into how Walz has addressed personal failings and the narrative of accountability that has followed him.

 

The incident took place on the night of September 23, 1995, when Walz was a 31-year-old teacher in Chadron, Nebraska. According to court records, a Nebraska state trooper clocked Walz driving at 96 mph in a 55-mph zone. The trooper noted a strong smell of alcohol on Walz's breath, and after failing both field sobriety and preliminary breath tests, Walz was taken to a hospital for a blood test and subsequently booked into the Dawes County Jail. The blood test revealed an alcohol level of 0.128%, which exceeded the legal limit of 0.10%.

 

In March 1996, Walz pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of reckless driving. During his plea hearing, the prosecutor cited the blood test results, while Walz’s attorney argued for leniency. The defense suggested that Walz had believed he was being chased because the trooper did not immediately activate his red lights. Although his attorney admitted that Walz had been drinking, he emphasized that Walz's blood alcohol level was “relatively low.” The attorney also painted a picture of Walz as a remorseful individual who was deeply disappointed in himself.

 

He highlighted that Walz, then a teacher at a local high school, had reported the incident to his principal, resigned from his coaching position, and offered to quit his teaching job altogether. However, the principal persuaded him to continue teaching, and Walz began using his experience as a cautionary tale for students about the consequences of drinking and driving. As a result of the incident, Walz lost his driver's license for 90 days and was fined $200.

 

Reflecting on the incident years later, Walz acknowledged that it was a turning point in his life. He has stated that he quit drinking alcohol after the arrest and now prefers Diet Mountain Dew. The arrest, while initially a private matter, became a public one as Walz embarked on a political career.

 

The 1995 incident first resurfaced in 2006 during Walz's inaugural run for Congress. At the time, a Republican blogger unearthed court documents related to the arrest, and a few news outlets in southern Minnesota picked up the story. However, it did not gain significant traction and was largely forgotten as Walz went on to win the election, unseating incumbent Republican Representative Gil Gutknecht.

 

The arrest was mentioned again in 2018 when Walz ran for governor of Minnesota. In a profile by the Star Tribune, Walz described the arrest as a “gut-check moment” that motivated him to change his behavior. His wife, Gwen Walz, also reflected on the incident, recalling that she told him, "You have obligations to people. You can’t make dumb choices."

 

However, the narrative surrounding the arrest became more complicated when it was revealed that during his 2006 congressional campaign, Walz’s staff had provided misleading information about the incident. His campaign manager at the time claimed that Walz had not been drunk and suggested that he had difficulty understanding the trooper due to hearing loss from his service in an artillery unit of the National Guard.

 

Additionally, the campaign manager implied that Walz might have had balance issues as a result of his hearing impairment. Another campaign spokeswoman echoed these statements, asserting that the DUI charge was dropped because it was not true and attributing Walz's failed field sobriety test to his deafness.

 

These claims, however, were inconsistent with court records. The court documents do not mention any issues related to Walz's hearing and clearly indicate that the trooper took him to jail after the arrest. The transcript from the plea hearing, in which Walz acknowledged in court that he was drunk, did not come to light until 2022, when it was reported by the conservative Minnesota site Alpha News.

 

The resurfacing of the incident has raised questions about the accuracy of the information disseminated by Walz’s campaign staff in 2006. As of now, the Harris-Walz campaign has not responded to inquiries about why his former campaign staffers provided misleading statements at the time. Notably, Walz did undergo ear surgery in 2005 to address his hearing loss, but the connection between his hearing impairment and the 1995 arrest remains unsubstantiated.

 

The scrutiny surrounding Tim Walz’s 1995 drunken driving arrest underscores the complex nature of political life, where past actions are often revisited and reinterpreted in the context of present ambitions. For Walz, the incident was not just a legal issue but a pivotal moment of personal reckoning.

 

His response to the arrest, both at the time and in subsequent years, reflects a commitment to accountability, even as questions linger about how the incident was publicly portrayed during his early political career. 

 

Credit: USA News  2024-08-17

 

 

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[herfiehandbag]

1: it was nigh on 29 years ago, and he was neither charged nor convicted of drunk driving.

 

2: if he is elected he will get an official car with drivers.

 

3: another straw drifts down the MAGA river, campaign members desperately doggy paddling after it!

[JonnyF]

Drink drivers are the lowest of the low. They ruin lives.

 

No surprise Walz would do this. Classic fake nice guy.

[CHdiver]

51 minutes ago, herfiehandbag said:

1: it was nigh on 29 years ago, and he was neither charged nor convicted of drunk driving.

 

6 hours ago, Social Media said:

The transcript from the plea hearing, in which Walz acknowledged in court that he was drunk, did not come to light until 2022,

 

You either did drunk reading or you are a fan boy with selective reading abilities........

 

Imho it's not a problem anymore that he was driving drunk, but it's a problem that he was lying about it. 

[WorriedNoodle]

42 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

No surprise Walz would do this. Classic fake nice guy.

Typical cheap shot.

[BritManToo]

50 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

Drink drivers are the lowest of the low. They ruin lives.

 

No surprise Walz would do this. Classic fake nice guy.

30 years back everyone got drunk and drove around.

[Will B Good]

7 hours ago, Social Media said:

As a result of the incident, Walz lost his driver's license for 90 days and was fined $200.

 

 

Nothing to do with Walz per se....but as a penalty for DUI....that is derisory.

[JonnyF]

20 minutes ago, WorriedNoodle said:

Typical cheap shot.

 

Typical apologist.

[JonnyF]

13 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

30 years back everyone got drunk and drove around.

 

Yeah and people's sons and daughters were killed by drunk drivers like Walz.

 

Of course he is holier than thou now like most leftists. 

[Chomper Higgot]

1 hour ago, JonnyF said:

Drink drivers are the lowest of the low. They ruin lives.

 

No surprise Walz would do this. Classic fake nice guy.

 

I expect most folk would agree there are worse things by far.

 

Checks names in the Epstein home visitors log.

[Yellowtail]

6 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

 

I expect most folk would agree there are worse things by far.

 

Checks names in the Epstein home visitors log.

No need to drag Clinton into this. 

[spidermike007]

1 hour ago, CHdiver said:

 

 

You either did drunk reading or you are a fan boy with selective reading abilities........

 

Imho it's not a problem anymore that he was driving drunk, but it's a problem that he was lying about it. 

That is highly amusing, I always find it to be quite ironic when Trump supporters bring up a lie of Harris, Walz, or Biden, when Trump has been documented as telling thousands upon thousands of lies.

 

It's his stock in trade for God's sake. 

[spidermike007]

I think the Republicans are simply floundering at this point, and Trump's  entire campaign is lost. They're using the silliest little things to attempt to discredit Harris and Walz. Yes Walz did have a drunk driving incident, fortunately nobody was killed, he fessed up to it, he stopped drinking, which is a lot more than you can say for the vast majority of drunk drivers, and he's a really good man.

 

He's such a good man the Republicans don't know what to do with him, they've completely lost any sense of messaging, the campaign is floundering like never before, they're heading toward a massive and humiliating defeat, they seem to know it, and desperation has set in. 

[Yellowtail]

He was speeding because he thought he was being chased, how funny is that? 

 

96 (154kph) in a 55 (88kph), even without drinking this is a pretty serious offence. 

 

And while the limit 30 years ago may have been 1.2, the legal limit in Nebraska now is 0.08 percent.  Given he failed both field sobriety and preliminary breath tests, he was clearly drunk. 

 

I had four DUIs, all reduced. I do not care about Walz' (Walz's?) DUI, I care that he is a hard-leftist I will only work to further drive the county left. 

 

I know that's boring to the left, but whatever. 

[Will B Good]

1 minute ago, Yellowtail said:

He was speeding because he thought he was being chased, how funny is that? 

 

96 (154kph) in a 55 (88kph), even without drinking this is a pretty serious offence. 

 

And while the limit 30 years ago may have been 1.2, the legal limit in Nebraska now is 0.08 percent.  Given he failed both field sobriety and preliminary breath tests, he was clearly drunk. 

 

I had four DUIs, all reduced. I do not care about Walz' (Walz's?) DUI, I care that he is a hard-leftist I will only work to further drive the county left. 

 

I know that's boring to the left, but whatever. 

 

 

Got the last bit correct.

 

 

[Yellowtail]

7 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

That is highly amusing, I always find it to be quite ironic when Trump supporters bring up a lie of Harris, Walz, or Biden, when Trump has been documented as telling thousands upon thousands of lies.

 

It's his stock in trade for God's sake. 

The left lies incessantly, yet only seems concerned about truth when they can use it to attack someone on the right. 

[ignore it]

This poop stirring from both sides is getting old.

[herfiehandbag]

1 hour ago, CHdiver said:

 

 

You either did drunk reading or you are a fan boy with selective reading abilities.......

 Sorry, you are wrong on both counts - but I am amused by your self righteous indignation - touched with just a taint of desperation!

[tandor]

2 hours ago, JonnyF said:

 

Yeah and people's sons and daughters were killed by drunk drivers like Walz.

 

Of course he is holier than thou now like most leftists. 

In this case the driver (Walz) was stopped for exceeding the speed limit; he did not have an accident or damage property; nor did he kill any person. However he was charged and fined, and had his Driver's Licence suspended. He paid the price for his actions. However his staff publishing distortions of the truth is another matter.

[Irish star]

3 hours ago, JonnyF said:

Drink drivers are the lowest of the low. They ruin lives.

 

No surprise Walz would do this. Classic fake nice guy.

San Francisco is not even charging drunk drivers , all charges being dropped lol, and don’t be using Qanon talking points about SF I was just there and it ls lovely , except for a couple blocks , 6th and market and Civic Centre 

[Irish star]

2 hours ago, JonnyF said:

 

Yeah and people's sons and daughters were killed by drunk drivers like Walz.

 

Of course he is holier than thou now like most leftists. 

Don’t you have a Cult newsletter to read , another one gonna be crying publicly Nov 6 , I’m running home to Vote and watch your Cult finally Die off 

[Irish star]

1 hour ago, ignore it said:

This poop stirring from both sides is getting old.

It’s the Media , they are all Voting Trump , More divisive more money 

[mamypoko]

5 hours ago, JonnyF said:

Drink drivers are the lowest of the low. They ruin lives.

 

No surprise Walz would do this. Classic fake nice guy.

Drink driver. A term commonly used in our 51st State

[maesariang]

Drink driving

Speeding

Lying about wars

 

Not a good record.

[NanLaew]

4 hours ago, CHdiver said:

but it's a problem that he was lying about it. 

 

No, his 2006 campaign staff were the ones making stuff up.

 

5 hours ago, JonnyF said:

Classic fake nice guy.

 

And Trump is...

 

4 hours ago, BritManToo said:

30 years back everyone got drunk and drove around.

 

Hell yeah. I got deferred adjudication with a whole slew of community work and other stuff that I never carried out before they dismissed my DUI because the court's docket was too full of more important stuff.

 

3 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

The left lies incessantly, yet only seems concerned about truth when they can use it to attack someone on the right. 

 

While the Right is this icon of moral rectitude?

 

 

 

[NanLaew]

10 minutes ago, maesariang said:

Drink driving

Speeding

Lying about wars

 

Not a good record.

 

And your record sounds broken.

[NK012]

5 hours ago, herfiehandbag said:

1: it was nigh on 29 years ago, and he was neither charged nor convicted of drunk driving.

 

2: if he is elected he will get an official car with drivers.

 

3: another straw drifts down the MAGA river, campaign members desperately doggy paddling after it!

Spot on, especially #3.

 

Let us list all the issues with Trump, get through the driftwood, and get to their platform. Oh wait you can't get through Trumps list of problems, because they are massive logs jamming up his chances that his cult has conveniently ignored. Then if you get to his core beliefs, you see he's just a brown mountain consisting of his horrible goals / beliefs and associated spew.

[Red Forever]

3 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

No need to drag Clinton into this. 

Or Trump!

[transam]

Is Social Media a Trump supporter by any chance.....😂

 

The next Walz story that is dug up will be what he did in infants school....🙃

[Dan O]

5 hours ago, CHdiver said:

 

 

You either did drunk reading or you are a fan boy with selective reading abilities........

 

Imho it's not a problem anymore that he was driving drunk, but it's a problem that he was lying about it. 

Where did say he lied about it. I believe they said his campaign manager lied about it?