Kamala Harris' VP pick Tim Walz previously charged with DUI in Nebraska before reaching plea deal
Kamala Harris' vice presidential pick for the 2024 elections is Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. The Nebraska native was previously charged with DUI and speeding.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was selected on Tuesday, after weeks of speculation, as the vice presidential running mate of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.
Walz took to social media to officially join the Democratic ticket and express his enthusiasm over the decision, writing, "It is the honor of a lifetime to join @kamalaharris in this campaign."
"I’m all in," he wrote on X. "Vice President Harris is showing us the politics of what’s possible. It reminds me a bit of the first day of school."
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Court transcripts from March 13, 1996, reveal that before Walz, a Nebraska native, became a political figure, he was a teacher at Alliance High School in the Cornhusker State.
Court documents say that on Sept. 23, 1995, Walz was pursued by a state patrolman when he drove at a speed exceeding 80 mph.
Upon suspected intoxication, the former high school basketball and football coach was given a preliminary breath test and a field sobriety test, both of which he failed, according to an article written by the Rochester Post Bulletin in 2006.
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Walz’s lawyer, Russell Harford, at the time of his 1996 hearing, advised the judge, James Hansen, that the circumstances were "a little bit bizarre" as Walz believed he was being chased and feared that "somebody was after him."
As a result, Walz’s speed then exceeded 90 mph.
Court documents recorded that the defense alleged to the court that the patrolman was chasing Walz without sirens.
"Finally, he did turn on his red lights," Harford said, according to the transcripts.
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Walz was also administered a blood test proclaiming a .128 blood alcohol concentration level. In court, Harford referred to the BAC as a "relatively low test."
In the U.S., a person is presumed intoxicated if their BAC is above .08.
The former high school basketball and football coach was charged with both speeding and driving under the influence, and taken into custody by officers.
Pursuant of a plea deal during his hearing, both of Walz’s charges were consequently knocked down to a reckless driving charge, to which Walz pleaded guilty.
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He was fined $200 plus court costs and agreed with the court that his actions while driving were "dangerous" and put lives at risk.
While campaigning in 2006, Walz’s former campaign manager, Kerry Greeley, told the Bulletin, that the Midwestern lawmaker was admittedly speeding, but was not drunk.
Greeley claimed it was a misunderstanding between Walz and the officer and that, due to his service in the artillery in the U.S. Army National Guard, Walz’s deafness provided him with the inability to hear the officer.
"He couldn’t understand what the officer was saying to him," she told the Bulletin.
Walz, a relatively unknown governor, was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2006.
In 2018, was elected governor of Minnesota. Walz won re-election in 2022 in a race against GOP candidate Scott Jensen.