During Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz's initial congressional campaign in 2006, his campaign disseminated inaccurate information regarding his 1995 arrest for drunk and reckless driving. Court and police records related to the incident indicate that Walz confessed in court to consuming alcohol before being stopped for driving 96 mph in a 55 mph zone in Nebraska. Following the stop, a state trooper escorted Walz to a local hospital for a blood test, which revealed a blood alcohol level of .128, significantly surpassing the state's legal limit of 0.1 at the time.
Contrary to the facts, in 2006, Walz's campaign repeatedly informed the media that he had not consumed alcohol that night. The campaign alleged that his failed field sobriety test was due to a misunderstanding stemming from hearing loss incurred during his service in the National Guard. Additionally, the campaign falsely claimed that Walz was permitted to drive himself to jail following the incident.
An examination of statements made by the Walz campaign during that period uncovered numerous inconsistencies between the campaign's portrayal of the events and the actual occurrences of that evening.
